^w  OF  PniHctro^^ 


A 


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BV  5095  .S8  P3  1920 
Parker,  Rebecca  Jane,  1865- 
S  adhu  Sundar  Singh,  called 
of  God 


SADHU    SUNDAR    SINGH 


.NS 


.  FFR  13  J948 

SADHU    SUNDAR   SIN^.lsi^^ 

CALLED    OF    GOD 


BY 


Mrs.    ARTHUR    PARKER, 
London  Missionary  Society^  Trivandram^  S.  India* 


New  York 


Chicago 


Fleming   H.    Revell   Company 

London        and        Edinburgh 


Copyright 


Copyright,  1920,  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


New  York:  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago :  17  North  Wabash  Ave. 
London :  21  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh       75    Princes    Street 


TO 

MY    DEAR    HUSBAND 

WHO    THROUGH    THIRTY    YEARS 

HAS    KEPT    ME    FAITHFUL 

TO   THE    BEST   THINGS 

OF   LIFE. 


FOREWORD 

This  little  book  was  originally  intended  for  the  use 
of  Christian  women  of  the  Malayalam  country,  but  the 
writer  has  been  persuaded  to  issue  an  English  edition. 

Nearly  the  whole  of  the  matter  has  been  the  subject 
of  conversations  with  the  Sddhu  himself,  with  whom  we 
have  enjoyed  much  inspiring  companionship  and  with 
whose  permission  the  book  is  issued. 

This  word  picture  of  a  true  servant  of  the  Great 
Master  should  be  an  inspiration  to  all  Christian  men  and 
women  in  India,  and  it  docs  not  seem  too  much  to  hope 
that  Indians  of  all  classes  will  see  how  truly  Jesus 
Christ  can  manifest  Himself  in  and  through  the  people 
of  this  great  land,  and  how  worthy  He  is  to  be  India's 
Lord  and  Saviour. 

Arthur  Parker. 
London  Mission,  Trivandram, 


A    LEITER    FROM    SADHU    SUNDAR    SINGH 

(Written  in  Roman-Urdu) 

Jab  main  is  chhothi  kitab  ka  MSS  dekh  raha  tha  to 
yih  bat  safai  so  dekhne  men  ai  ki  Khuda  ki  Ruh  ne  kaise 
ajib  taur  se  Mrs.  R.  J.  Parker  ki  madad  aur  hidayat  ki,  ki 
sari  baten  bagair  kisi  galati  ki  likhin,  aur  mujhe  yaqin  hai, 
ki  musannif  ki  mihnat  Khuda  ke  jalal  aur  bahuton  ke 
ruhani  faida  ki  bais  hogi.  Aur  unko  madad  milegi  jo 
mushkilat  men  hain,  jis  tarah  ki  main  tha,  aur  khass 
kar  yih  malum,  karke,  ki  Khudawand  kis  tarah  mujhe 
jaise  bare  gunahgar  ko  bacha  kar  apni  muhabbat  aur 
fazl  se  apni  khidmat  ke  liye  chun  leta  hai.  Aj  main 
shukarguzari  ke  sath  apne  tajruba  13  baras  ke  experience 
se  kah  sakta  hun  ki  Masih  aj  kal  aur  hamesha  yaksan 
hai  (Hebrews  xiii.  8). 

Men  dua  hai  ki  Khuda  in  chand  baton  ke  auron  ki 
ruhani  madad  aur  apni  jalal  ke  liye  istiamal  kare.     Amin. 

(Signed)  Sundar  Singh. 
September  3,  1918. 


Translation 

When  I  saw  the  manuscript  of  this  little  book  I  saw 
clearly  in  what  a  wonderful  way  the  spirit  of  God  had 
helped  and  guided  Mrs.  R.  J.  Parker  so  that  she  had 
written  it  without  any  mistake,  and  I  am  certain  that 
the  author's  work  will  be  for  the  glory  of  God  and  a 
means  of  spiritual  benefit  to  many.  Also  that  those  who 
are  in  the  midst  of  difficulties  such  as  I  was,  will  receive 
help,  and  especially  will  learn  how  the  Lord  saved  so 
great  a  sinner  as  myself,  and  by  His  love  and  grace  chose 
me  for  His  service. 

To-day  I  can  say  with  thankfulness  after  thirteen 
years  of  experience  that  Christ  is  the  same  yesterday, 
and  to-day,  and  for  ever  (Hebrews  xiii.  8). 

My  prayer  is  that  God  will  use  these  few  words  for 
His  glory  and  for  the  spiritual  help  of  others.     Amen. 

(Signed)  Sundar  Singh. 
September  3,  1918. 


Hast  thou  heard  Him,  seen  Him,  known  Him, 

Is  not  thine  a  captured  heart  ? 
Chief  among  ten  thousand  own  Him, 

Joyful  choose  the  better  part. 

What  has  stripped  the  seeming  beauty 

From  tlie  idols  of  the  earth  ? 
Not  a  sense  of  right  or  duty, 

But  the  sight  of  peerless  worth. 

Not  the  crushing  of  those  idols, 

With  its  bitter  void  and  smart  ; 
But  the  beaming  of  His  beauty, 

The  unveiling  of  His  heart ! 

'Tis  that  look  that  melted  Peter, 
'Tis  that  face  that  Stephen  saw, 

'Tis  that  heart  that  wept  with  Mary 
Can  alone  from  idols  draw. 

Draw  and  win  and  fill  completely. 

Till  the  cup  o'erflow  the  brim  ; 
What  have  we  to  do  with  idols 

WTio  have  companied  with  Him  ? 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Introduction  -------  xiii 

I. — Sadhu  and  Sanyasi           .            .  -  -  1 

II. — SuNDAR  Singh  as  Sadhu  -             .  .  -  s 

III. SUNDAR   THE    MaN                       .                  .  .  -  g 

IV. — Nationality  and  Birth  -            -  -  -  13 

V. — Called  to  Seek    -            -            -  -  -  16 

VI. — Called  of  God      -            -            -  -  -  19 

VII. — Called  to  SuFHiR— I        -             -  -  -  22 

VIII. — Called  to  Suffer — II      -            -  -  -  28 

IX. — Called  to  Serve  -             -             -  -  -  32 

X. — Called  to  Preach              -             -  -  -  35 

XI.— What  Wisdom  Is  This  ?   -             -  -  -  39 

XII. — Early  Experiences  as  a  Sadhu  -  -  42 

XIII. — Obedience  by  Suffering              -  -  -  46 

XIV.— The  Fast    -            -            -             -  -  -  50 

XV. — Further  Journeys  and  Persecutions  -  -  54 

XVI.— Tibet            -             -             -             -  -  -  59 

XVII.— SuNDAR  IN  Tibet— I           -             -  -  -  61 

XVIII.— SuNDAR  IN  Tibet— II        -            -  -  -  04 

XIX. — Further  Experiences  in  Tibet  -  -  67 

XX. — Martyrs  of  the  Faith     -             -  -  -  72 

XXI. — Sundar's  Mysticism           -            -  -  -  78 

XXII. — The  Sadhu's  Love  for  the  Cross  •  -  83 

XXIII. — SuNDAR  Singh  and  the  Sanyasi  Mission  -  80 


xii  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

XXIV. — SuNDAR  Singh  and  the  Maharishi  of  Kailash  -  91 

XXV. — Sadhu  Sundar  Singh  in  South  India    -            -  95 

XXVI. — Sadhu   Sundar   Singh   at   a   great   Christian 

Convention         -            -            -            -            -  98 

XXVII.— Ceylon       -            -            -            -            -            -  102 

XXVIII. — "  Unto  the  Uttermost  Parts  of  the  Earth  "  -  108 

XXIX.— "  Called,  Chosen,  Faithful  "     -            -            -  113 

XXX. — "  Christ  sent  me  to  Preach  the  Gospel"         -  118 

The  Message  of  the  Book                -            -            -            -  124 

Appendices  :    The  Sadhu  and   His  Father — Tibet — The 

Sikhs — Some  of  the  Sadhu's  Illustrations  -            -  125 


SADHU    SUNDAR    SINGH 

CALLED    OF    GOD 


INTRODUCTION 

February,  1918,  is  a  time  that  will  linger  in  the  memory 
of  Christians  of  all  denominations  in  Trivandram,  for 
the  visit  of  Sadhii  Simdar  Singh  was  an  imprecedented 
event  that  brought  to  many  profoimd  spiritual  blessing. 
One  of  our  missionaries  rightly  said,  "  Such  a  figure  has 
never  passed  through  the  Indian  Church  before  "  ;  and  in 
passing  he  left  the  deep  consciousness  that  God  had 
visited  His  people. 

The  fame  of  the  Sadhu  had  preceded  him,  for  a  few 
had  read  the  books  published  about  his  life  and  work, 
and  of  these  some  looked  for  a  day  of  miracles  to  dawn. 
Most,  however,  were  filled  with  desire  to  see  and  hear 
him    that    they    might    receive    the    spiritual    blessings 


xiv  INTRODUCTION 

they  believed  possible  from  his  ministry.  That  God 
did  not  disappoint  these  hopes  there  arc  numbers  to-day 
who  could  give  joyful  testimony. 

As  the  train  bringing  Sadhu  Sundar  Singh  to 
Trivandram  drew  into  the  station,  besides  the  mission- 
ary, a  group  of  Indian  Christians  stood  ready  to  accord 
a  welcome  to  him  ;  and  upon  arrival  at  tlie  Mission 
House  a  crowd  had  gathered  for  the  same  i)urpose,  and 
would  hardly  be  persuaded  to  disperse  in  order  to  allow 
the  Sadhu  to  get  a  wash  and  some  food. 

A  Wesleyan  missionary  thus  describes  the  appearance 
of  the  Sadhu  :  "  The  Sadhu  has  a  noble  presence.  He 
is  tall,  with  a  well-shaped  head  and  fine  features.  .  .  . 
His  hands  and  feet  are  delicately  formed  and  exquisitely 
kept.  He  is  scrupulously  clean  in  person  and  attire. 
The  only  dress  he  wears  is  the  long  orange  robe  of  the 
ascetic,  which  falls  in  graceful  and  dignified  folds  about 
his  body.  No  one  can  look  upon  him  for  the  first  time 
without  being  struck  by  his  close  likeness  to  the  tradi- 
tional portrait  of  Christ." 

There  are  many  things  in  this  old  land  that  give  a 
fresh  understanding  of  the  Bible,  but  no  man  of  my 
experience  has  made  us  realize  so  fully  how  our  Saviour 
lived  and  moved  about  in  His  day.  During  his  visit  to 
Trivandram,  whenever  Sadhu  Sundar  Singh  appeared  in 
public,  wondering  crowds  followed  him.  Even  the 
children  gathered  behind  him  that  they  might  touch 
his  yellow  robe,  and  the  sick  were  brought  that  he 
might    pray    with    them.     It    is    almost    impossible    to 


INTRODUCTION  xv 

convince  the  people  that  he  docs  not  heal  the  sick,  even 
when  the  assurance  comes  from  his  own  hps. 

At  one  of  his  meetings  a  pathetic  incident  occurred 
that  brought  vividly  to  mind  how  pur  Lord  was  sought. 
It  was  at  a  large  open-air  meeting.  Some  men  appeared 
carrying  a  sick  man  on  a  bed.  They  placed  it  gently 
upon  the  ground  in  a  place  where  the  afflicted  man 
could  behold  the  face  and  hear  the  words  of  the  Sadhu. 
He  was  a  Christian  from  a  village  seven  miles  away, 
and  had  been  brought  in  overnight  so  as  to  be  present 
at  this  great  gathering. 

That  very  night  another  incident  took  place  that 
reminded  us  of  the  visit  of  Nicodemus  to  our  Saviour. 
At  two  o'clock,  when  all  the  world  was  locked  in  sleep, 
a  low  rapping  at  the  door  annoimced  the  arrival  of  a 
midnight  guest.  A  caste  man  desirous  of  discussing 
religious  matters  had  come  to  see  him.  When  explain- 
ing that  he  had  felt  ashamed  to  come  in  "the  daylight 
the  Sadhu  replied,  ''Jesus  Christ  was  not  ashamed  to 
suffer  for  you  on  the  cross  in  the  daylight,  so  cannot 
you  suffer  a  little  for  Him  ?  '*  At  the  service  next  day 
this  gentleman  took  his  courage  in  both  hands,  and 
appeared  amongst  the  crowd  of  Christians  to  listen  to 
the  Sadhu  preaching. 

Sundar  Singh  has  brought  fresh  visions  of  God  and 
Christ  to  us  all,  and  many  of  us  realize  how  by  close 
fellowship  with  Jesus,  and  complete  obedience  to  His 
will,  he  has  become  so  conformed  to  his  Lord  that 
wherever  he  goes  people  say,  ''  How  like  Christ  he  is  !  " 


xvi  INTRODUCTION 

To  see  and  hear  him  makes  one's  heart  beat  high 
with  hope  for  India's  future,  and  with  confidence  that 
the  day  will  come  when  the  east  will  have  some  new 
aspect  of  our  Saviour  to  discover  to  the  west.  For 
thirty  years  we  have  waited  for  men  to  rise  up  who  can 
reach  the  heart  of  India,  and  surely  none  has  come  nearer 
to  doing  this  than  this  humble  lover  of  the  Cross*,  Sadhu 
Sundar  Singh. 


CHAPTER   I 

Sadhu  and  Sanyasi 

Perhaps  in  no  country  in  the  world  is  more  impor- 
tance attached  to  the  proper  observances  f\i  religion 
than  in  India,  and  the  greatest  reverence  is  xelt  towards 
men  who  adopt  a  religious  life.  For  ages  Indians  have 
learnt  to  place  the  man  who  renounces  the  world  above 
him  who  rules  and  conquers  it.  The  power  of  the  priest 
is  too  well  known  to  need  mention  here,  and  although  the 
spread  of  western  education  has  done  much  to  under- 
mine his  influence,  the  family  priest  still  reigns  supreme 
in  the  homes  of  India.  But  outside  the  priestly  caste 
there  are  numbers  of  men  who  take  up  a  religious  life, 
and  chief  amongst  them  are  those  known  as  sddhus  and 
sanydsis.  There  is  often  confusion  between  these  terms, 
and  they  are  supposed  to  be  identical.  The  main  differ- 
ence seems  to  be  that  the  sadhu's  is  a  life  vowed  to 
religion  from  the  beginning,  whilst  the  sanyasi's  may 
begin  at  any  time,  even  in  old  age. 

Many  Indians  desire  to  consecrate  their  last  years 
to  religion,  so  they  cast  off  all  family  ties  and  all  worldly 
ambitions  and  responsibilities,  and  for  the  remainder 
of  their  days  practise  the  austerities  of  the  sanyasi  life. 
It  is  generally  understood  that  such  men  have  fulfilled 
all  the  ordinary  obligations  of  life,  having  married  and 
had  a  family,  and  done  a  share  of  the  world's  work. 

1 


2  SADHU     SUNDAR     SINGH 

A  sadhu,  however,  early  in  life  renounces  the  world  and 
all  its  pleasures.  He  never  marries  or  enters  upon  the 
ordinary  occupations  of  the  world. 

The  sadhu  life  is  one  of  untold  possibilities,  of 
tremendous  temptations :  a  life  that  commands  the 
respectful  attention  of  India,  for  it  is  a  type  of  heroism 
which  dares  to  lose  the  world  and  all  the  world  may 
offer  in  its  absolute  self-abandonment.  To  one  who 
perfectly  carries  out  this  ideal,  the  proudest  head  in  India 
will  always  bow  in  reverence  and  humility.  Both 
sanyasi  and  sadhu  adopt  the  saffron  robe — the  time- 
honoured  dress  which  gives  them  the  freedom  of  all 
India.  The  simplicity  of  their  life  is  such  that  they  have 
no  home  and  carry  no  money,  and  amongst  Hindus  it 
is  an  act  of  religious  merit  to  provide  them  with  shelter 
and  food. 

From  the  earliest  days  this  kind  of  life  has  had  great 
attractions  for  the  pious  minds  of  India,  and  during 
the  centuries  men  have  voluntarily  sacrificed  the  world 
and  all  it  stands  for,  that  by  all  kinds  of  hardships  and 
self-denial  they  might  satisfy  the  deep  longings  of  the 
soul.  Numberless  times  men  of  noble  aspiration  have 
by  this  means  striven  to  obtain  peace  of  soul  and  absorp- 
tion in  the  deity. 

The  commonest  sight  in  any  of  the  holy  cities  of  India 
is  that  of  one  or  many  sadhus  practisino[  the  austerities 
of  their  chosen  lot,  either  by  swinging  over  a  slow  fire, 
holding  up  the  right  arm  until  it  has  stiffened  and  the 
nails  have  grown  through  the  back  of  the  hand,  sitting 
on  a  bed  of  spikes,  or  under  a  vow  of  silence  in  medita- 
tion on  the  banks  of  some  sacred  stream.  Unfortunately 
this  kind  of  life  has  been  subject  to  the  most  terrible 
abuse,  and  there  is  scarcely  a  more  disgusting  sight  in 
the  world  than  the  filthy  beggar  who,  donning  the  saffron 
robe,  passes  from  house  to  house  terrorizing  the  ignorant 


SADHU    AND    SANYASI  3 

inhabitants,  and  cursing  them  when  he  cannot  wring 
from  their  unwilling  hands  the  gifts  he  asks. 

The  ordinary  winter  visitor  to  India  cannot  but  be 
impressed  by  the  numerous  signs  he  sees  in  all  the  holy 
places  he  passes  through,  that  many  Indians  are  seek- 
ing God,  "  if  haply  they  might  feel  after  Him  and  fmd 
Him."  And  whilst  the  sight  of  numberless  filthy  fakirs 
awakens  a  sense  of  disgust  and  repulsion,  surely  no 
Christian  man  can  see  the  self-torture  of  many  sanyasis 
without  a  deep  yearning  to  discover  to  them  the  great 
secret  of  the  peace  they  so  arduously  strive  to  find. 

In  India  life  can  be  lived  at  its  simplest.  The 
climate  enables  men  to  do  with  little  clothing,  and  to  live 
largely  an  out-of-door  life.  Except  where  the  stream  of 
western  life  has  turned  men  aside  to  greater  luxury,  the 
Indian  still  feels  satisfied  with  a  simple  diet  and  life. 
Hence  through  the  centuries,  as  earnest  souls  have  gone 
in  quest  of  higher  spiritual  things,  it  is  not  surprising 
that  they  have  chosen  the  simplest  possible  life,  and 
added  to  its  hardships  by  self-imposed  austerities. 

To  people  of  western  nations,  with  their  harder  climate 
and  different  customs,  such  simplicity  is  impossible, 
and  to  many  even  difficult  to  luiderstand.  The  true 
sadhu  does  not  retire  to  a  monastery  where  food  and 
shelter  arc  assured.  He  wanders  homeless  from  place 
to  place,  possesses  only  the  meagre  clothes  he  wears, 
and  is  utterly  destitute. 

Dr.  Farquhar,  in  his  Crown  of  Hinchiism,  says  : — 

As  long  as  the  world  lasts  men  will  look  back  wjth  wonder 
on  the  ascetics  of  India.  Their  quiet  surrender  of  every 
earthly  privilege,  and  their  strong  endurance  of  many  forms 
of  suffering  will  be  an  inspiration  to  all  generations  of  thinking 
Indians.  For  nearly  three  thousand  years  the  ascetics  of 
India  have  stood  forth,  a  speaking  testimony  to  the  supremacy 
of  the  spiritual. 


4 


SADHU     SUNDAR     SINGH 


The    ideal,  is    a    great    one.     Christianize    this    ideal,^ 
make   it   a   renunciation   for   the   sake   of  others,   that 
remaining  "  in  the  world  but  not  of  it  "  a  man  "  shall 
endure  all  things  "  in  an  untiring  search  for  other  souls, 
and  we  have  the  noblest  life  attainable  on  earth. 


CHAPTER   II 

SuNDAR  Singh  as  Sadhu 


The  Christian  Patriot,  a  Madras  paper,  recently  published 
the  following  : — 

Sadhu  Siindar  Singh  is  the  embodiment  of  an  idea  running 
in  the  veins  of  every  Indian,  and  inherited  by  him  from  the 
distant  past.  Standing  before  men  as  the  liomeless  Sadhu, 
not  knowing  where  his  next  meal  will  come  from,  without 
worldly  goods,  he  recalls  to  men's  minds  in  these  days  the 
great  ideal  of  renunciation. 

But  in  this  case  the  ideal  is  realized  in  perfection,  since 
not  for  his  own  soul,  but  for  the  souls  of  others,  he 
"  counts  all  things  but  loss  "  ;  and  his  great  renunciation, 
entailing  untold  hardship,  privation,  suffering,  and  per- 
secution, is  his  daily  offering  to  the  Saviour  who  gave 
His  life  for  him. 

Obeying  the  wishes  of  his  dead  and  greatly  loved 
mother,  Sundar  unflinchingly  faced  the  anger  of  his 
Hindu  relatives,  the  ridicule  of  his  Christian  brethren, 
and  even  the  mild  hostility  of  his  European  friends,  and 
became  a  Christian  Sadhu.  Thirty-three  days  after  his 
baptism,  when  only  a  boy  of  sixteen,  he  took  this  step  in 
the  firm  belief  that  God  had  called  him  to  this  particular 
kind  of  life  and  work.  Since  that  day  he  has  never 
ceased  to  interpret  the  life  of  Him  who  had  not  where 
to  lav   His  head  to  Indians   who   have   been  taught  to 


6  SADHl'     SUNDAR     SINGH 

revere  a  holy  life  of  self-denial.  Thus  does  he  commend 
to  his  countrymen  in  truly  eastern  manner  the  great 
things  for  which  the  Saviour  gave  His  lite.  This  new 
method  of  preaching  Christ  has  laid  the  Sadhu  open  to 
a  considerable  amount  of  criticism  in  thegast,  but  in 

/the  form  of  a  parable  he  explains  that  ayHindu  will  not 
drink  water  from  a  foreign  vessel  even  when  dying  of 
thirst,  but  if  that  same  water  be  offered  to  him  in  his 
own  brass  vessel  he  will  accept  jt.^ 

It  may  be  that  the  time  has  come  when  Indian 
Christians  must  venture  upon  new  forms  of  spiritual 
enterprise^  for  they  know  the  needs  of  their  own  country- 

tmen,  have  received  yie  same  traditions,  and  have  the 
same  outlook  on  lifcy'  Beyond  question  the  Sadhu's  new 
venture  has  brouglit'imtold  blessing  to  many  thousands 
all  over  this  great  land  of  India. 

By  adopting  the  recognized  dress  of  the  sadhu,  Sundar 
Singh  not  only  opens  the  door  to  all  castes  and  classes 
of  society,  but  also  even  to  the  sacred  precincts  of  the 
zanana  homes  of  India,  where  on  various  occasions 
he  has  had  unique  opportunities  of  speaking  for  his  Lord 
to  the  great  ladies  of  the  land.     His  own  words  are  : — 

The  day  I  became  a  Sadhu  I  was  wedded  to  these  garments, 
and  I  will  never  divorce  them  of  my  own  will. 

He  has  frequently  been  asked  how  long  he  means  to 
continue  this  life  of  self-abnegation,  to  which  he  replies  : 

.\s  long  as  I  am  in  this  world,  I  have  vowed  my  life  to 
Him,  and  His  grace  abiding  I  shall  never  bieak  my  vow. 

Never  long  in  one  place,  he  wanders  over  the  length 
and  breadth  of  India,  meeting  with  all  sorts  and  condi- 
tions of  men,  suffering  the  changes  of  climate  from  the 
steamy  tropical  heat  of  Travancore  and  Ceylon  to  the 
icy  cold  of  Tibet.  VV^ithout  knowledge  of  how  food  or 
raiment  or  lodsfing  shall  be  provided  from  day  to  day, 


SUNDAR     SINGH     AS     SADHU 


carrying  no  money  or  worldly  possessions,  Sadhii  Sundar 
Singh  continues  his  pilgrimage  in  the  service  of  his 
fellowmen  and  to  the  glory  of  his  Master  Christ.  In  cold 
or  heat  he  wears  the  same  clothes,  and  even  in  the  bitter 
cold  of  farthest  Tibet  he  wears  no  shoes,  for  by  "  his 
bleeding  feet  he  attracts  men  to  Christ."  Wherever  he 
goes  he  carries  a  small  copy  of  the  New  Testament  in 
Urdu,  which  with  the  help  of  nature  and  his  own  experi- 
ence is  all  he  needs  to  enforce  his  powerful  teaching. 

In  his  book,  Tfie  Manhood  of  the  Master,  Dr.  Fosdick 
says  that  "  Jesus  must  have  been  the  most  radiant  Man 
of  His  time  in  Palestine."  Looking  at  Sadhu  Sundar 
Singh  it  is  easy  to  realize  this,  for  to  him  suffering  for 
Christ  is  a  real  joy,  and  his  face  is  expressive  of  the  deep 
peace  and  abounding  joy  he  has  in  his  dearest  Saviour, 
Christ.  During  fourteen  years  of  sadhu  life  Sundar 
Singh  has  known  all  manner  of  trials,  and  endured  much 
suffering  and  persecution.  Like  his  great  predecessor 
Paul,  he  has  been  "  troubled  on  every  side  .  .  .  per- 
plexed, but  not  in  despair  ;  persecuted  but  not  forsaken  ; 
cast  down  but  not  destroyed  ;  always  bearing  about  in 
the  body  the  dying  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  that  the  life 
also  of  Jesus  may  be  made  manifest  "  in  his  body  (2  Cor. 
iv.  7-10). 


«& 


«   4 


CHAPTER    III 

SUNDAR   THE   MaN 

A  WESTERN  missionary  who  has  loved  India  through 
a  long  life  may  perhaps  be  pardoned  for  writing  this 
chapter.  Ever  since  meeting  Sundar  Singh  the  question 
as  to  the  great  difference  between  him  and  most  other 
Christians,  and  also  the  Sadhu's  imusual  power  of 
drawing  men  to  Christ,  has  been  uppermost  in  his  mind. 
Absolute  loss  of  all  things  and  an  entire  submission  to 
the  will  of  Christ  together  with  a  profound  enthralling 
love  tor  his  Saviour  gives  at  least  a  partial  answer  to 
the  problem. 

In  India  as  in  our  Lord's  dayJ_Mto^the^£Oor^yii^jGosp^ 
is  preached,"  anS^i'^as.-fotnT^  acceptance,  and  brought  to 
many  thoiis^ands  a  better  life  and  a  freer  heritage.  In 
some  cases  there  is  trouble  and  loss  and  even  persecu- 
tion, but  the  cases  are  few  and  far  between  where  absolute 
loss  of  all  things  is  the  price  of  following  Christ. 

But,  as  will  be  seen  in  a  succeeding  chapter,  the 
conversion  of  Sundar  to  Christ  brought  with  it  not  only 
the  loss  of  all  things  but  great  persecution  and  hardship. 
All  he  got  by  becoming  a  Christian  was  Christ ;  and 
this  incomparable  gift  swamped  everything  else,  so 
that  since  that  time  it  has  been  an  ecstasy  of  delight  to 
him  to  suffer  with  and  for  his  Master.  \Mien  more  of 
India's  sons  accept  the  Saviour  in  this  spirit,  the 
Christian  Church  in  this  land  will  enter  into  her  rightful 


SUNDAR    THE    MAN 


9 


heritage  and  become  the  evangelizing  power  that  shall 
bring  India  to  her  Saviour. 

Wherein  lies  Sundar  Singh's  power  to  draw  men  to 
Christ?     Early  in  life  he  had  an  aw^akened  conscience, 
and   for   long   sought   peace   in   the   sacred   books   with 
which  he  was  familiar.     Filing  to  find_ixL_th£m  what' 
he  sought  he  turned  to  the  New  Testament.     Imagine 
his  ardent^  and  highly-striuig  mind  intent  on  the  story 
of  Christ  as  related  there  !     A  new  Book — not  a  worn-out 
creed,  nor  the  story  of  how  Old  Testament  prophecies 
had  been  fulfilled,   nor  yet  a  thing  he  had  read  from  I 
a  child  and  grown  accustomed  to  !     There  was,  no  stale- 1 
i^ess   ir^JJie—Gospfil— story   to  him.     Christ  walked^tKis'i 
earth  again,  lived  and  spoke  in  every  line ;    and  as  he  ■ 
cad,   the  marvel  of  the  story  grew,  until  obsessed  by 
the  vision  he  counted  all  things  as  dross  that  he  "  might 
win  Christ  and  be  found  in  Him."     He  had  no  books  to 
explain   the  New  Testament  or  to  cloud   its  meaning. 
There  were  just  the  New  Testament,  God  and  his  own 
highly  attimed  soul — a.  soul  that  had  sought  long  and 
hopelessly  for  God,  and  had  found  here  all,  and  more 
than  he  had  sought. 

The  picture  of  this  Hindu  boy  sitting  under  a  tree 
out  of  sight  of  friend  or  foe,  immersed  in  the  reading  of 
his  Urdu  Testament '  and  sobbing  over  its  contents,  is 
one  that  brings  tears  to  the  eyes,  and  calls  us  to  pause 
and  ask  ourselves,  *'  Have  we  so  learned  Christ  ?  "  It 
takes  us  back  to  foundation  things,  and  stripped  of  our 
learning  and  knowledge  we  cry  out  for  that  same  simple 
experience — just  to  meet  Christ  as  he  did. 

From  those  days  to  the  present,  Sundar  Singh  has 
wandered  in  company  with  his  Lord  over  the  length 
and  breadth  of  India,  with  his  Urdu  New  Testament  in 
his  hand,  and  with  Christ  in  his  heart,  and  a  look  of 
Christ  upon  his  face. 


10  SADHl'     SUXDAR     SINGH 

In  The  Goal  of  India  the  Rev.  W.  E.  S.  Holland  says  : 

India  is  the  spiritual  mother  of  half  mankind.  .  .  .  No 
book  that  sets  out  to  unveil  for  other  peoples  the  heart  of 
India  could  put  anything  else  but  religion  in  the  very  fore- 
front. ...  To  the  Indian  that  is  all  that  really  matters 
.f  .  .  nothing  else  can  ever  satisfy  his  soul.  The  climax  of 
India's  religious  ideal  has  ever  been  renunciation.  There  is 
something  of  the  magnificent  in  the  sadhu's  measureless 
contempt  for  suffering  and  hardship.  .  .  .  Christ  will  redeem 
India's  ancient  ideal  :  India  needs  to  see  Christ  as  well  as 
hear  about  Him.  .  .  .  India  needs  the  simple  Christian,  wlio 
in  a  life  of  gentleness  and  patience,  of  lowly  love  and  humble 
service,  will  unveil  to  her  the  beauty  of  Christ. 

Herein  lies  one  great  secret  of  Sadhu  Sundar  Singh's 
power  over  men  wherever  he  goes.  Tajving,^the_old,i4e^ 
f  reininciatioiL  he  hj^^>^spiritualiz£d.^it,  and  men  see  in 
1  a  reflection  oTthe  great  renunciation  of  Christ  Him- 
self— not  seeking  suffering  for  suffering's  own  sake,  as 
is  the  case  with  Hindu  asceticism,  but  enduring  it  with 
cheerful  acceptance  as  being  the  will  of  God  for  him. 
In  the  words  of  Keshab  Chandra  Sen  : — 

,/^  Behold  Christ  cometh  to  us  as  an  Asiatic  ...  to  fulfil  and 

C perfect  that  religion  of  communion  for  which  India  has  been 
panting — yea,  after  long  centuries  shall  this  communion  be 
perfected  in  Christ. 

Sadhu  Sundar  Singh  in  himself  reminds  men  of  this 
great  fact,  and  looking  beyond  him  they  *'  Behold  the 
Man  "  w^ho  "  for  our  sakes  became  poor." 

Can  one  wonder  that  whenever  he  makes  his  public 
appearances  large  crowds  gather  to  hear  him  ?  India 
must  be  won  for  Christ  by  her  own  sons,  and  in  Sundar 
Singh  we  see  a  man  whose  appeal  goes  straight  to  the 
heart  of  an  Indian,  be  he  Christian  or  otherwise.  His 
appearance,  his  utter  self-abnegation  and  poverty,  his 
presentation  of  the  Gospel  message,  even  the  manner  of 
his  conversion  combine  to  make  that  appeal  irresistible 


SUNDAR    THE    MAN  11 

to  the  people  of  India.  They  understand  and  beheve  in 
such  a  man.  Thus  this  son  of  India  possesses  a  key  to 
the  hearts  of  his  countrymen  no  foreigner  can  ever  hope 
to  have,  however  great  his  love  for  India  and  her  people 
may  be. 

An  Indian  gentleman  thus  speaks  of  him  : — 

A  tall  young  man  in  flowing  toga  and  a  short  black  beard 
delivering  his  mef^sage  with  the  fire  of  a  prophet  and  the 
power  of  an  apostle  !  As  the  sweet  words  flowed  from  his 
lips  the  Sadhu  stood  befoie  us  as  a  symbol  of  the  spiritual 
culture  of  the  East  set  aglow  in  the  resplendent  light  of  the 
Gospel. 

Whilst  an  American  adds  : — 

The  beauty  that  he  daily  gazes  upon  draws  the  deep  souls 
of  India  who  have  not  yet  beheld  it,  but  have  seen  it  in  him. 
His  life  is  his  power,  and  that  life  has  to  be  lived  to  make 
that  power  felt. 

The  Young  Men  of  India  for  July,  1918,  publishes  the 
following  :— 

It  is  almost  an  impossible  task  to  present  any  appreciation 
of  him  (the  Sadhu)  in  words.  He  is  a  man  who  has  taken 
up  the  life  of  a  sadliu  because  he  believes  that  God  has  called 
him  to  this  method  of  labour  for  Him.  He  utterly  disowns 
the  idea  that  in  the  life  of  the  sadhu  there  is  any  intrinsic 
and  special  holiness.  .  .  .  His  addresses,  like  his  personality, 
are  radiant  with  a  calm,  deep  and  glowing  faith  in  God, 
and  it  is  impossible  to  be  in  his  company  without  realizing 
that  he  is  one  to  whom  God  is  a  familiar  friend.  .  .  .  He 
conveys  the  message  which  is  the  heart  of  his  own  life  through 
addresses  filled  with  vivid  and  often  piquant  illustrations 
drawn  from  his  own  experience  .  .  .  and  he  presses  home 
his  points  with  unforgetable  similes  and  illustrations.  It  is 
a  fortunate  thing  for  the  Indian  Church  that  the  first  man 
wtp  has  become  widely  known  as  a  Chiistian  Sa  Im  should 
be  one  of  such  simple  humble  faith,  and  so  purely  a  Christian 
personality. 

The  Sadhu  is  not  emotional  or  fanatical.     Every  gift 


12 


SADHU     SUNDAR     SINGH 


he  possesses  he  ascribes  to  Christ,  and  to  Christ  alone. 
He  belongs  to  no  sect  and  is  not  a  member  of  any 
order.  In  himself  he  calls  Indians  back  to  simplicity, 
self-sacrifice,  and  a  pure  whole-hearted  devotion  to 
Christ,  that  seeks  only  after  God  and  works  perpetually 
for  the  souls  of  men.  Life  to  him  is  only  of  value  so  far 
as  it  serves  these  great  ends,  and  standing  before  men  as 
the  embodiment  of  these  ideals  his  appeal  to  India  is 
irresistible. 


4^^ 


CHAPTER    IV 

Nationality  and  Birth 

Sadhu  Sundar  Singh  is  a  Sikh  by  birth.  The  Sikhs  arc, 
for  various  reasons,  of  peculiar  interest.  Arising  first 
as  a  religious  sect  resolved  to  reform  abuses  and  Uy 
lead  men  back  to  a  simpler  purer  worship,  they  eventu- 
ally developed  into  an  organized  military  power. 
Through  four  centuries  they  have  had  many  and  bitter 
experiences,  but  prjdg^of  race,  love  of  arms,  and  a  stiff 
clinging^o  their,  religious  doctrines,  ^re  to  this  day 
their  great  characteristics. 

Cunningham,  in  his  History  of  the  Sikhs,  says  : — 

During  the  sixteenth  century  whilst  the  Punjab  was  a 
scene  of  endless  contention  for  power  amongst  foreign  races, 
the  religious  sect  of  the  Sikhs,  humble  in  its  origin,  unpre- 
tending in  its  primitive  character,  silently  arose  amidst  the 
tumult  of  arms,  and  in  spite  of  j)erseeution  laid  the  foundations 
of  a  great  state. 

The  home  of  the  Sikhs  is  "  The  Country  of  the  Five 
Rivers,"  and  a  remarkable  circumstance  of  the  popula- 
tion of  the  Punjab  is  the  comparative  paucity  of  the 
Sikhs  in  a  country  once  ruled  by  them.  The  Sikhs  do  not 
form  a  numerous  sect,  yet  their  strength  is  not  to  be 
estimated  by  numbers,  but  by  their  unity  and  energy  of 
religious  fervour  and  warlike  temperament.  They  will 
dare  and  endure  much  ;    they  arc  not  easily  discouraged 


14  SADHU     SUNDAR     SINGH 

by  defeat ;  and  they  look  forward  hopefully  to  the  day 
when  the  double  mission  of  Nanak  and  Govind  Singh 
shall  become  a  dominant  religion. 

Some  further  account  of  the  Sikhs  will  be  found  at 
the  end  of  the  book,  and  from  it  will  be  seen  some  of  the 
national  and  religious  influences  under  which  Sundar 
Singh  was  born.     Captain  Cminingham  says  : — 

A  Sikh  chief  is  not  more  distinguished  by  his  stately  person 
and  manly  bearing  than  a  minister  of  his  faith  is  by  a  lofty 
thoughtfulness  of  look,  which  marks  the  fervour  of  his  soul, 
and  his  persuasion  of  the  near  presence  of  the  Divinity. 
In  religious  faith  and  worldly  aspiration  they  are  wholly 
different  from  other  Indians. 

From  such  a  stock  sprang  Sundar  Singh.  His  father 
was  Sirdar  Sher  Singh,  a  Sikh  by  descent,  and  to  this 
day  a  wealthy  lar^jowner  in  Rampur,  in  the  State  of 
Patiala,  where  on  September  3,  1  j89,  Sundar  was  born  ; 
the  youngest  son  in  the  family,  bTrT^lled  to"  a  higKer 
destiny  than  them  all.  One  of  the  family  is  Sirdar 
A.  Nath  Singh,  commander  of  an  Indian  force  in  one  of 
the  Sikh  States,  while  others  have  risen  to  even  higher 
distinction  still. 

As  a  child  Sundar  was  brought  up  in  the  la£^f  luxury. 
Ever\'^  year  as  the  hot  weather  drew  on,  he  waslaken 
with  the  family  to  spend  the  summer  in  the  cooler  air 
of  the  Himalayas,  usually  to  Simla. 

His  mother  was  a  refinj^  _gj^-  g^ted  lady^  very 
broadminded  in  her  sympathies.  She  was  on  tiiendiy 
t^mj5u-4wyi»Jthe^^A£n^^  Mission  ladies, 

and  permitted  their  visits  to  her  home.  From  his  earliest 
days  the  relationship  between  Sundar  and  his  mother 
was  of  the  tenderest  character.  He  was  the  youngest 
of  the  family,  and  he  seldom  left  her  side.  She  would 
often  say  to  him,  **  You  must  not  be  careless  and  worldly 
like  your  brothers.     You  must  seek  peace  of  soul  and 


NATIONALITY    AND     BIRTH 


15 


love  religion,  and  some  day  you  must  become  a  holy 
sadhu." 

So  frequently  did  he  hear  such  words  as  these  from 
his  mother's  lips  that  he  never  contemplated  any  other 
life  than  this  of  which  she  spoke.  Wherever  she  went 
her  little  son  accompanied  her,  and  she  never  ceased 
to  teach  him  the  best  things  she  knew.  By  the  time  he 
was  seven  years  of  age  he  had  learnt  the  Bhagavadgitd 
from  beginning  to  end  in  Sanskrit.  And  then,  at  the  age 
of  fourteen,  Sundar  lost  his  dearest  earthly  friend.  How 
he'^missecl  her  gentle  companionship  no  one  knows,  but 
to-day  when  he  speaks  of  her  his  voice  grows  tender, 
and  he  believes  that  were  she  alive  she  would  be  satisfied 
to  see  him  living  and  working  as  he  is  this  day. 


CHAPTER    V 
Called  to  Seek 

"  Ye  shall  seek  Me  and  find  Me  when  ye  shall  search  for  Me  with 
all  your  heart." — Jeremiah  xxix.  13. 

It  has  often  been  remarked  that  great  men  owe  much 
to  the  early  training  given  by  their  mothers,  and  iii 
the  case  of  Sadhu  Siindaf"^>mgh  this  is  especially  true. 
From  his  earliest  days  the  child  not  only  accompanied 
his  mother  on  her  visits  to  the  temples  but  was  carefully 
taught  by  her  to  regard  religion  as  the  supreme  thing 
in  life.  He  saw  her  reverence  for  the  holy  men  she 
often  went  to  consult,  and  very  early  in  life  his  impres- 
sionable mind  seized  upon  the  idea  that  of  all  lives  that 
of  .a  holy  sadhu  was  the  best  worth  living. 
\[  \  Sundar  learnt  from  his  devout  mother  that  there  was 
a    peace   of   heart   which    needed    earnest    seeking,    and 


which,  whenTound,  woul 


■thF^Featest  treasure  on 


I  earth.  So  frequently  did  she  speak  of  this  to  him  that 
1  as  he  grew  in  understanding  the  desire  to  gain  this 
*  precious  gift  grew  in  intensity,  i  The  little  child  who  had 
"  rubbed  his  forehead  on  the  temple  door  "  and  sat  at  the 
feet  of  Hindu  holy  men,  now  began  to  seek  for  the 
inestimable  treasure  he  had  learnt  to  regard  as  the  one 
thing  worth  obtaining  in  the  world. 

The   Granth  of  the   Sikhs,   the   sacred   books   of  the 


CALLED    TO     SEEK  17 

Hindu  religion,  and  even  the  Qur'an  of  the  Muhammad- 
ans,  were  all  ceaselessly  read  and  searched.  Often  when 
his  family  lay  asleep  Sundar  would  sit  poring  over  the 
pages  of  one  or  other  of  these  books.  Many  passages 
and  verses  he  learnt  by  heart,  and  yet  with  all  his 
increasing  knowledge  there  only  came  to  him  a  deeper 
unrest  of  soul^ 

The  priests  of  the  temple,  the  s4dhus  he  so  often  saw, 
and  even  his  pious  mother,  failed  to  bring  him  rest  of 
heart,  although  they  quoted  many  passages  from  their 
sacred  books  in  the  hope  of  helping  him.  Thus  built  up 
in,  but  unsatisfied  with,  the  faith  of  his  fathers,  and 
without  knowledge  of  Christ  and  Christianity,  Sundar 
was  sent  to  learn  at  the  mission  school  carried  on  by  the 
American  Presbyterians  in  his  own  village.  Here  every 
day  the  Bible  wastaught,  and  Sundar  heard  things  that 
aroused  in  his  mind  feelings  of  the  deepest  antagonism. 

His  Sikh  blood  was  roused  on  the  very  first  day  by 
his  being  told  to  read  the  Bible.  "  Why  should  I  ? 
We  are  Sikhs  and  the  Granth  is  our  sacred  book."  But 
Sundar,  with  a  friend  of  his  own  age  and  standing,  were 
persuaded  to  obey  the  rule  of  the  school,  and  then  he 
bought  for  himself  a  copy  of  the  New  Testament  and 
began  to  read  it.  But  his  horror  was  only  increased 
when  he  found  its  teaching  utterly  subversive  of  all 
he  had  learnt  and  treasured  from  his  childhood.  A  deep 
inbred  reverence  for  his  own  religion,  almost  amounting 
to  fanaticism,  roused  him  beyond  endurance.  Soon  he 
became  the  ringleader  of  the  boys  in  the  school  who 
hated  Christianity.  Openly  he  tore  up  the  hated  pages 
of  his  New  Testament  and  burnt  them  in  the  fire. 
Hearing  of  this  his  father  expostulated  with  him,  declaring 
the  Bible  to  be  a  good  book,  and  telling  him  that  he 
should  have  returned  it  to  the  missionary  rather  than 
have  treated  it  thus. 

2 


./!: 


18  SADHU     SUNDAR     SINGH 

Again  Siindar  turned  to  his  own  sacred  books,  this 
time  with  an  abhorrence  for  Christ  and  a  greater  deter- 
mination to  find  the  peace  of  which  his  mother  had 
taught  him.  He  not  only  arduously  studied  the  Indian 
eligious    systems    and    holy    books,    but    ako^J2£i^ctised 

Yoga  "  imdcr  a  Hindu  sadhu,  and  learnt  how  toThrow 
himself  into  mystic  trances,  which  brought  temporary 
relief,  although  when  he  came  out  of  the  trance  he  was 
more  miserable  than  before.  He  was  taken  away  from 
the  mission  school  and  sent  to  a  government  school  three 
miles  away  from  his  home.  The  daily  long  walk  in  the 
fierce  Indian  sun  soon  began  to  tell  on  his  health,  and 
before  long  it  became  apparent  that  he  must  return  to 
the  mission  school  if  he  was  to  finish  his  education. 

All  this  time  he  had  been  diligent  in  his  search  for 
peace,  and  the  constant  cry  of  his  heart  was  for  shanti 
— that  comprehensive  Hindi  term  that  means  not  only 
peace  but  a  full  satisfaction  of  soul.  But  the  more  he 
longed  the  greater  was  his  disappointment  when  he 
found  himself  growingly  filled  with  a  deep  soul-hunger 
that  nothing  would  satisfy. 

Back  in  the  mission  school  Sundar  once  more  found 
the  Gospel  in  his  hand,  and  again  listened  to  the  daily 
teaching  of  the  Bible.  Then  returned  upon  him  his 
old  hatred  of  Christianity,  and  the  very  name  of  Christ 
filled  his  mind  with  angrj-  resentment.  So  strong 
were  his  feelings  at  that  time  that  on  one  occasion,  when 
the  shadow  of  a  Christian  missionarj^  fell  across  him,  he 
spent  a  whole  hour  in  washing  away  the  pollution. 
Sundar  speaks  of  this  period  as  one  of  the  most  trying  of 
his  life,  for  he  had  come  to  the  end  of  his  own  religion 
without  discovering  the  sJianti  he  was  in  search  of,  and 
his  deep-rooted  hatred  of  Christianity  prevented  him 
from  even  looking  inlo  the  Christian  sacred  book  for 
this  "  pearl  of  great  price." 


CHAPTER    VI 

Called  of  God 

"  Blessed  are  they  .that  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteousness  : 
for  they  shall  be  filled."' — Matthew  v.  6. 

"  Come  unto  Me  .  .  .  and  I  will  give  you  rest." — Matthew  xi.  28. 

Thus  far  God  had  led  Siindar  by  a  way  he  knew  not, 
and  it  seemed  only  to  lead  him  into  blacker  night. 
Having  studied  line  by  line  all  the  religions  he  knew, 
having  heard  from  the  lips  of  many  religious  teachers 
all  they  had  to  tell,  and  in  spite  of  all  still  experiencing 
a  deeper  and  more  unsatisfied  longing  for  the  shanti  he 
believed  possible,  Sundar  was  led  by  God  to  see  that  in 
none  of  these  things  could  he  find  what  he  sought.  In 
the  silent  sanctuary  of  his  own  heart  came  the  thought 
at  last,  that  perhaps  in  the  despised  book  he  had  so 
furiously  destroyed  there  might  be  some  help,  and  so  he 
yet  again  took  the  Testament  in  hand.  Torn  with 
anguish  and  driven  to  despair  he  read  there,  "  Come 
unto  Me  .  .  .  and  I  will  give  you  rest."  The  words 
arrested  him,  and  as  he  continued  to  read  the  story  of 
the  cross  the  wonder  grew.  No  longer  did  he  join  with 
His  class-mates  in  their  open  abuse  of  the  Christian 
religion.  Sometimes  he  was  discovered  in  quiet  con- 
verse   with    the    Christian    teacher.     Eventually    these 


20  SADHU     SUNDAR     SINGH 

things  were  noticed  and  duly  reported  to  his  parents,  but 
his  father  took  Httle  notice,  for  the  boy  had  been  well 
grounded  in  the  Sikh  religion  by  his  devout  mother,  and 
was  imbued  with  its  beliefs. 

But  the  leaven  of  the  Gospel  had  entered  his  heart, 
and  as  he  read,  "  God  so  loved  the  world  that  He  gave 
His  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  belie veth  on  Him 
should  not  perish  but  have  everlasting  life,"  a  whisper  of 
comfort  came  to  his  sore  heart.  But  still  the  burden  of 
anguish  prevented  him  finding  rest.  At  last  he  felt  he 
must  put  an  end  to  the  struggle.  So  one  night  he  made 
a  firm  resolve  that  he  would  obtain  peace  before  dawn — 
either  in  this  world  or  the  next.  He  knew  that  at  five 
o'clock  each  morning  the  Ludhiana  express  passed  at 
the  bottom  of  his  father's  garden,  and  to  end  his  misery 
seemed  no  sin  to  the  Hindu  boy. 

In  Hindu  fashion  he  bathed,  and  with  Testament  in 
hand  he  retired  to  his  room  to  spend  the  long  night  in 
reading,  meditation  and  prayer.  Just  before  dawn 
Sundar  became  conscious  of  a  bright  cloud  filling  the 
room,  and  in  the  cloud  he  saw  the  radiant  figure  and 
face  of  Christ.  As  he  looked  upon  the  vision  it  seemed 
to  him  that  Christ  spoke  saying,  "  Why  do  you  oppose 
Me  ?  I  am  your  Saviour.  I  died  on  the  cross  for  you." 
His  determined  enmity  was  broken  down  for  ever  as  he 
looked  upon  that  Face  so  filled  with  Divine  love  and 
pity,  and  with  conviction  came  a  sublime  sense  of 
forgiveness ^nd  acceptance  with  Christ.  At  that  moment 
there  flashed  into  his  heart  the  great  shanti  he  had 
sought  so  long.  Rising  from  his  knees  the  vision  faded, 
but  from  that  hour  Christ  has  remained  with  him,  and 
shanti  has  been  his  dearest  possession.  With  a  heart 
brimming  over  with  joy  Sundar  went  to  his  father's 
room  and  told  him  that  he  was  a  Christian.  Unable  to 
believe  that  his  son  could  be  in  earnest,  the  father  urged 


CALLED     OF     GOD 


21 


him  to  go  to  rest,  and  believing  all  was  right  he  fell 
asleep  again.  But  that  memorable  night  the  thorn- 
crowned  Jesus  had  called  Sundar  Singh  to  follow  in  His 
steps,  and  from  that  night  the  cross  of  Jesus  was  to  be 
his  joyous  theme,  until  that  cross  shall  lift  him  into  the 
presence  of  his  Saviour  for  evermore. 


CHAPTER    VII 

Called  to  Suffer — I 

"  A  man's  foes  shall  be  they  of  his  own  household." — Matt.  x.  30. 

"  For  unto  you  it  is  given  in  the  behalf  of  Christ,  not  only  to 
believe  on  Him,  but  also  to  suffer  for  His  sake." — Phil.  i.  29. 

For  nine  months  from  that  night  onwards  Simdar 
Singh  was  to  pass  from  sorrow  to  sorrow,  until  he  had 
drunk  the  cup  of  suffering  to  its  bitterest  dregs,  for  all 
that  time  he  remained  in  his  father's  house. 

When  it  became  ki>own  that  he  had  chosen  Jesus  as 
his  master,  it  seemed  too  heinous  a  thing  for  any  member 
of  his  family  to  believe.  That  one  of  their  number, 
belonging  as  they  did  to  a  proud  and  influential  family, 
should  dream  of  joining  the  despised  sect  of  the  Christians, 
none  could  contemplate.  The  father,  with  much  earnest 
pleading  and  tenderness,  urged  his  son  to  put  aside 
such  degrading  and  foohsh  thoughts  ;  to  remember  the 
high  estate  he  had  been  born  to,  and  the  noble  prospects 
that  lay  before  him.  He  unrolled  before  the  eyes  of 
Simdar  visions  of  wealth  and  honour,  of  high  positions 
awaiting  him  ;  but,  seeing  these  things  made  no  impres- 
sion, he  portrayed  to  him  the  shame  and  disgrace  that 
would  befall  his  family  if  he  persisted  in  his  present 
course.  The  father  knew  his  son's  heart,  and  the  love 
that  heart  still  held  for  his  mother  and  kindred. 


CALLED     TO     SUFFER  23 

None  but  Sundar  can  tell  the  temptations  of  that 
dreadful  hour.  Anguish  filled  his  soul  that  he  should 
bring  reproach  on  those  he  loved.  At  that  moment 
too  were  spread  before  him  the  temptations,  ambitions 
and  glitter  of  the  world  ;  and  once  more  he  was  to 
feel  the  power  of  earth's  attractions  and  earth's  love. 
But  God  had  not  called  Sundar  from  despair  and  dark- 
ness to  let  him  fall  a  prey  to  these  temptations.  It 
seemed  to  him  that  Jesus  whispered,  *'  He  that  loveth 
father  or  mother  more  than  Me  is  not  worthy  of  Me, 
and  he  that  taketh  not  his  cross  and  followeth  Me  is  not 
worthy  of  Me."  Only  when  he  saw  his  father's  tears 
did  poor  Sundar's  heart  almost  break,  but  even  as  he 
declared  his  love  for  his  father  he  had  strength  given  to 
speak  of  a  greater  love  for  One  who  had  called  him  to 
follow  Him,  and  whom  he  could  not  disobey.  Such  scenes 
of  pathos  are  not  to  be  dwelt  upon  in  the  pages  of  a  book. 

About  this  time,  when  it  was  fully  realized  that 
'Sundar  had  made  up  his  mind  to  follow  Christ,  a  fresh 
attempt  was  made  to  turn  him  aside  and  to  win  him  back 
to  his  old  faith.  An  honoured  uncle,  the  possessor  of 
great  wealth,  one  day  took  him  off  to  his  large  house, 
and  led  him  to  a  deep  cellar  below  the  main  building. 
Taking  him  inside  the  uncle  locked  the  door  and  Sundar 
wondered  whether  his  last  hour  had  come.  But,  taking 
a  key,  his  uncle  stepped  forward  and  unlocked  a  large 
safe.  Throwing  open  the  door  there  was  revealed  to 
the  boy's  eyes  such  wealth  as  he  had  never  dreamt  of. 
Rolls  of  bank  notes,  priceless  jewels,  and  quantities  of 
money  were  what  he  saw.  His  uncle  then  besought 
him  not  to  disgrace  the  family  name  by  becoming  a 
Christian,  and  taking  his  puggaree  from  his  own  head  he 
laid  it  on  Sundar's  feet,  as  the  last  and  humblest  suppli- 
cation he  could  make,  with  the  words,  "  All  these  shall 
be  yours  if  you  will  remain  with  us." 


24  SADIIU     SUNDAR     SINGH 

Sundar  felt  this  temptation  keenly,  for  not  only  did 
the  sight  of  such  riches  dazzle  his  eyes,  but  his  heart  was 
deeply  moved  by  his  uncle's  condescension  in  thus 
humiliating  himself  to  the  youngest  son  of  the  house- 
hold. Sundar's  eyes  filled  with  tears  as  he  beheld  the 
puggaree  lying  on  his  feet — marking  the  disgrace  which 
he  must  bring  on  those  he  loved,  and  his  uncle  standing 
bareheaded  before  him.  But  at  that  moment  his  heart 
becartie  filled  to  overflowing  with  such  love  and  devotion 
to  Christ  that  refusal  came  easily  to  his  lips,  and  with 
it  came  such  a  sense  of  divine  approbation  and  accept- 
ance of  his  dearest  Saviour  as  strengthened  every  holy 
resolution  to  be  faithful  to  his  Lord.  After  that  his 
father  made  it  plain  to  him  that  he  was  no  longer  a 
son  of  the  house  but  an  outcast. 

Both  Sundar  and  a  Sikh  class-mate  had  read  the 
New  Testament  with  the  same  result,  that  they  found 
Christ.  But  they  were  not  of  an  age  to  take  the  great 
step  of  confessing  Christ  publicly,  and  so  were  obliged  to 
remain  in  their  Hindu  homes.  The  relatives  of  Sundar's 
friend  brought  a  case  into  the  law  courts  charging  the 
American  missionaries  with  compelling  the  boy  to 
become  a  Christian.  Upon  appearing  before  the  magis- 
strate  the  boy  bore  steady  witness  to  the  faith  that  was 
in  him,  and  being  questioned,  he  took  a  New  Testament 
from  his  pocket  and  holding  it  in  his  hand  replied, 
"  Not  because  of  the  Padri  Sahib  but  by  reading  this 
Injil,  I  believe  on  Christ,  so  let  the  Padri  Sahib  go." 
Thus  the  case  fell  through,  and  for  some  time  longer 
Sundar  and  his  friend  were  forced  to  remain  with  their 
relatives  until  they  were  able  to  take  the  momentous 
step  that  was  to  mean  so  much  to  them  both  later  on. 

It  IS  easy  to  see  how,  when  all  persuasion  and  the 
temptations  of  a  great  career  failed  to  turn  aside  the 
boy   from   his   set   purpose,   the   bitterest   hostiUty  was 


CALLED    TO     SUFFER  25 

aroused  amongst  his  people.  His  own  brother  proved 
his  fiercest  enemy,  and  day  by  day  Simdar  suffered  bitter 
persecution  at  his  hand.  No  language  was  too  foul  to  be 
used  against  him  and  his  ''  Jesus,"  and  with  redoubled 
care  he  had  to  steal  away  where  no  eye  could  see  him,  if 
he  was  to  refresh  his  soul  by  the  reading  of  his  precious 
New  Testament.  He  was  taken  away  from  the  mission 
school,  which  was  eventually  broken  up  and  had  to  be 
closed  because  of  the  persecution.  Nor  was  this  all,  for 
the  open  hostility  of  the  villagers  became  so  great  that  the 
small  Christian  community,  no  longer  able  to  procure 
food  at  the  shops,  was  obliged  to  withdraw  to  more 
friendly  quarters,  leaving  Sundar  alone  and  friendless. 

As  the  storm  increased  in  fury  Sundar  saw  that  it 
was  impossible  for  him  to  remain  in  his  father's  house, 
and  so  eventually  he  made  his  way  to  the  headquarters 
of  the  American  Presbyterian  Mission  in  Ludhiana, 
where  the  missionaries  received  him  kindly  and  took  care 
of  him.  Special  arrangements  were  made  for  the  cooking 
of  his  food  to  prevent  trouble  with  his  family,  and 
Sundar  entered  the  high  school  to  continue  his  educa- 
tion. The  sensitive  boy  had  high  ideals  as  to  what 
Christians  ought  to  be,  and  before  long  he  discovered  that 
his  school-mates  were  for  tfte  most  part  only  nominally 
Christian,  and  the  conduct  of  some  of  them  caused  him 
to  leave  the  mission  and  retrace  his  steps  homewards. 
Arrived  at  Rampur  his  parents  naturally  thought  he 
had  given  up  Christianity  and  received  him  with  great 
kindness.  But  they  were  speedily  disillusioned,  for 
they  soon  found  him  to  be  a  more  determined  follower 
of  Jesus  than  before. 

Sundar  now  took  the  final  step  that  was  to  place 
him  hopelessly  outside  the  pale  of  his  religion,  commu- 
nity, and  family,  by  cutting  short  his  long  hair — the  sign 
to  all  that  he  was  no  longer  a  Sikh.     Sikhs  are  instructed 


26  SADHU     SUNDAR     SINGH 

in  their  sacred  book,  the  Granth,  never  to  cut  the  hair, 
and  every  true  Sikh  glories  in  his  hair.  Among  various 
races  of  India  the  long  tuft  of  hair  is  regarded  with 
special  reverence,  and  is  the  last  sign  of  Hinduism  a 
caste  man  lays  aside  when  he  becomes  a  Christian.  So 
Sundar  in  cutting  his  hair  brought  ostracism  on  himself, 
and  at  the  same  time  it  was  an  unmistakable  declaration 
for  Christ  and  His  cross.  Then  fell  on  this  poor  boy 
the  bitterest  blow  of  all.  He  was  to  be  disowned,  cast 
out,  treated  only  as  the  lowest  of  the  low,  and  that  by 
those  who  loved  him  best.  The  Apostle  Paul  wrote, 
"  We  are  made  as  the  offscouring  of  all  things,"  and  this 
w^s  the  treatment  meted  out  to  a  boy  of  sixteen,  who 
up  to  this  point  had  not  entirely  cast  in  his  lot  with 
Christians.  He  was  no  longer  counted  as  one  of  the 
family.  His  food  was  served  to  him  outside  the  house, 
just  as  if  he  belonged  to  the  '  untouchables,'  and  he  was 
made  to  sleep  in  the  same  place.  The  first  time  this  was 
done  the  poor  boy's  eyes  filled  with  tears,  and  the  weight 
of  his  cross  seemed  more  than  he  could  bear. 

Shortly  after  this,  one  of  Sundar's  brothers-in-law, 
who  was  in  the  service  of  the  Raja  of  Nabha,  took  him 
for  a  day  or  two  to  stay  at  his  own  house,  in  the  hope 
of  bringing  him  to  a  different  state  of  mind.  It  was  then 
that  the  Raja  heard  of  the  matter,  and  he  summoned 
Sundar  to  appear  before  the  bar  of  the  State  Assembly 
(Durbar)  to  account  for  his  conduct.  The  Raja  used 
much  persuasive  language,  and  made  glowing  offers  to 
him  ;  moreover  he  made  a  stern  appeal  to  his  pride  of 
race,  reminding  him  that  he  was  a  Singh  (lion)  and  that 
to  be  a  Christian  was  to  become  a  dog.  Whatever 
answer  Sundar  made  it  must  have  been  given  to  him  in 
that 'very  hour  what  he  should  speak,  for  neither  argument 
nor  'appeal  nor  yet  offers  of  high  position  were  able  to 
move  him  in  his  resolution  to  follow  Christ  at  all  costs. 


CALLED     TO     SIFFKR  27 

He  then  returned  home,  and  imtnediately  all  the 
pent-up  anger  of  his  father  was  let  loose  upon  him. 
The  helpless  boy  was  cursed,  disowned,  and  told  that 
on  the  following  morning  he  must  go  forth  from  his 
ancestral  home.  With  a  sorely  wounded  heart  that 
night  he  lay  down  for  the  last  time  on  his  father's 
verandah  to  sleep.  Before  sunrise  the  following  day  he 
was  cast  forth  with  nothing  but  the  thin  clothes  he 
wore,  and  enough  money  to  take  him  to  Patiala  by  rail. 
Homeless,  friendless,  and  utterly  destitute,  Sundar 
turned  his  back  on  the  home  of  his  childhood. 

.Jesus,  I  my  cross  have  taken, 

All   to   leave   and   follow   Thee  ; 
Destitute,   despised,   forsaken, 

Thou  from  hence  my  All  shalt  be. 


CHAPTER    VIII 

Called  to  Suffer — II 

"  Thou  art  called,  and  hast  professed  a  good  confession  before 
many  witnesses." — 1  Timothy  vi-  12. 

As  Sundar  sat  in  the  train  the  thought  came  to  him 
that  in  Ropur  there  was  a  httle  colony  of  Christians — 
some  from  Rampur,  whither  they  had  fled  when  persecu- 
tion made  Hfe  impossible  in  their  own  village — and  so 
stepping  out  of  the  train  he  made  his  way  to  the  house 
of  the  kind  Indian  pastor  and  his  good  wife.  It  was  by 
the  providence  of  God  that  Sundar  did  this,  for  very  soon 
after  his  arrival  he  fell  violently  ill  and  a  physician  had 
to  be  called  in.  Then  it  became  known  that  a  deadly 
poison  had  been  mixed  in  the  food  given  him  before 
leaving  home.  It  was  not  the  intention  of  his  friends  that 
they  should  be  degraded  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  but 
rather  that  he  should  die  in  the  train.  All  that  night 
the  good  pastor's  wife  sat  by  his  side  waiting  for  the 
end  to  come,  for  the  physician  pronounced  the  case 
hopeless  and  departed  with  the  promise  to  come  in  the 
morning  to  the  funeral. 

Sundar  lay  in  mortal  pain  with  blood  flowing  from 
his  mouth  and  his  strength  ebbing  fast.  But  as  he  lay, 
there  came  to  him  the  profound  belief  that  God  had  not 
called  him  out  of  darkness  to  die  without  witnessing  to 


CALLED     TO     SUFFER  29 

his  faith  in  Christ,  so  he  began  to  pray  with  all  his 
remaining  powers.  When  morning  came  he  was  still 
alive,  though  exceedingly  weak.  The  physician  came 
according  to  his  promise  and  was  amazed  to  find  the 
boy  alive.  So  deeply  impressed  was  he  that  he  took  a 
copy  of  the  New  Testament  and  began  to  study  it. 
In  this  way  the  physician  himself  became  a  believer 
in  Christ,  and  to-day  is  working  as  a  missionary  in 
Burma. 

Sundar's  friend,  in  taking  the  same  step,  received 
similar  treatment,  for  his  relatives  also  offered  him 
poisoned  food  to  eat.  While  Sundar  lay  betv/een  life  and 
death  his  friend's  short  but  heroic  witness  to  the  power 
of  Christ  came  to  an  end,  and  he  passed  to  the  presence 
of  his  Redeemer  to  be  '"  for  ever  with  the  Lord." 

When  Sundar  was  sufficiently  strong  to  undertake 
the  short  journey  to  Ludhiana  he  went  back  to  the  kind 
care  of  the  American  missionaries  there.  Whilst  there 
several  attempts  were  made  by  his  relatives  to  get 
him  away,  and  violence  was  used  on  one  of  these  occa- 
sions, so  that  the  police  had  to  be  called  in  to  quell  the 
disturbance.  But  the  most  trying  occurrence  to  Sundar 
was  when  his  aged  father  came  to  make  a  last  appeal 
in  the  hope  of  drawing  him  away.  The  sight  of  the 
father's  stricken  face  and  figure  made  a  deep  impression 
on  the  boy,  and  as  the  old  man  spoke  of  the  great  love 
of  his  mother  and  happy  days  of  his  childhood,  there 
passed  in  fleeting  panorama  before  Sundar's  mind  all 
the  happiness  of  his  old  home,  and  the  love  that  had 
sheltered  his  early  days.  His  tears  scorched  his  cheeks, 
whilst  a  mighty  struggle  went  on  in  his  heart.  But 
he  was  not  left  to  struggle  alone,  for  One  stood  by  him 
and  reinforced  his  soul's  resolve  to  take  up  his  cross 
and  follow  Him.  As  his  father  turned  to  go  away  the 
last  great  sacrifice  was  made,  and  Simdar  stood  as  he 


30  SADHU     SUXDAR     SINGH 

does  to-day — stripped  of  all  that  life  can  offer  but 
accepted  of  his  Lord.  These  long  months,  so  full  of 
trial  and  hardship,  had  been  a  supreme  test,  and  every 
fresh  sorrow  only  added  sweetness  and  firmness  to  the 
character  of  this  remarkable  boy. 

After  these  events  it  became  necessary  for  Sundar 
to  go  away  where  he  would  be  protected  from  his  enemies, 
and  he  was  sent  to  the  American  Medical  Mission  at 
Sabathu,  a  small  place  twenty-three  miles  from  Simla, 
Avhere  he  was  free  from  persecution,  and  able  to  give  his 
mind  completely  to  the  study  of  his  beloved  New 
Testament.  Set  free  from  all  earth's  ties,  he  became 
increasingly  anxious  to  confess  Christ  by  baptism. 
Again  and  again  he  begged  that  he  might  be  allowed  to 
take  this  step,  and  eventually  on  his  birthday,  September 
3,  1905,  the  Rev.  J.  Redman  baptized  him  in  the  Church 
of  England  at  Simla.  Next  day  Sundar  returned  to 
Sabathu,  and  knowing  that  he  was  "  buried  with  Him  in 
baptism  .  .  .  risen  with  Him  through  faith  "  (Col.  ii.  12) 
his  heart  was  filled  to  overflowing  with  happiness.  The 
weary  struggles  of  the  past  months  faded  in  the  presence 
of  this  new  joy  of  bearing  the  name  of  the  dear  Master 
for  whom  already  he  had  suffered  so  much. 

His  heart  now  became  filled  with  a  burning  desire 
to  make  known  to  others  the  Saviour  to  whom  he  had 
given  himself  so  unreservedly,  and  with  eager  joy  he 
began  to  look  forward  to  the  great  work  to  which  his 
life  was  to  be  dedicated.  During  the  hard  days  of  his 
search  after  God  Sundar  had  made  a  vow  that  if  God 
would  lead  him  into  peace  he  would  sacrifice  all  that 
life  could  offer  him.  And  now  the  day  had  come  when 
he  could  make  an  utter  self-surrender  for  Jesus  Christ. 
He  had  long  felt  drawn  to  the  life  of  a  sadhu,  and  know- 
ing Avhat'sueh  a  life  involved,  he  willingly  made  the 
final  sacrifice  for  it.     His  books  and  personal  belongings 


CALLED     TO     SUFFER  31 

were  soon  disposed  of,  and  on  October  6,  1905,  just 
thirty-three  days  after  his  baptism,  he  adopted  the 
simple  saffron  robe  that  was  to  mark  him  off  for  all  time 
as  one  vowed  to  a  religious  life.  With  bare  feet  and  no 
visible  means  of  support,  but  with  his  New  Testament 
in  his  hand  and  his  Lord  at  his  side,  Sadhu  Simdar 
Singh  set  out  on  the  evangelistic  campaign  that  has 
lasted  to  this  day. 


CHAPTER   IX 

Called  to  Serve 

"  It  pleased  God  who  .  .  .  called  me  by  His  grace  to  reveal  His 
Son  in  me,  that  I  might  preach  Him  among  the  heathen." — 
Galatians  i.  15-16. 

"  Ye  shall  be  witnesses  unto  Me  ...  in  Jerusalem." — Acts  i.  8. 

SuNDAR  was  now  embarked  on  a  life  of  such  complete 
self-abnegation  and  suffering  as  falls  to  the  lot  of  few 
men  in  this  world.  His  path  from  Hinduism  to  Christ 
had  been  one  of  thorns  all  the  way.  But,  after  his 
vision  of  the  thorn-crowned  Jesus  and  his  acceptance 
of  the  peace  his  Saviour  brought,  nothing  seemed  too 
great  to  give  up  for  Him.  In  the  undying  words  of 
Dr.  Watts  :— 

Were  the  whole  realm  of  nature  mine, 
That   were   an   offering  far  too   small ; 

Love  so  amazing,  so  divine, 

Demands  my  soul,  my  life,  my  all. 

Nothing  less  than  'all  sufficed  to  satisfy  his  ardent  nature, 
and  one  cannot  wonder  that  on  entering  the  sadhu 
life  in  that  spirit  he  determined,  as  he  says,  that  "  His 
grace  abiding  "  he  would  live  no  other,  so  long  as  life 
was  his  to  spend  for  Christ. 

Though  but  a  boy  in  years,  the  heart  of  Sadhu  Sundar 


CALLED     TO     SERVE  33 

Singh  then,  as  now,  was  filled  with  a  divine  passion 
for  human  souls,  and  his  intense  devotion  and  love 
for  the  Lord  Jesus  caused  him  to  choose  as  his  first 
field  of  labour  his  own  village,  from  which  he  had  been 
driven  only  a  short  time  previously.  Only  a  few  months 
after  his  rejection  by  his  family  the  young  Sadhu 
returned  to  the  familiar  streets  of  Rampur,  and  there  in 
every  street  he  bore  faithful  witness  to  the  power  of  the 
Saviour  and  the  new-found  happiness  he  had  in  Him. 
Not  only  so,  but  even  the  zanana  doors  of  Rampur  were 
opened  to  him,  and  he  went  from  house  to  house  telling 
the  women  the  same  wonderful  story.  From  there,  and 
alone,  he  passed  on  to  the  villages  round  about,  and  fear- 
lessly testified  to  the  people  everywhere  of  the  great 
peace  only  obtainable  through  Jesus  Christ. 

He  then  continued  his  way  through  many  other 
towns  and  villages  of  the  Punjab,  working  his  way  up 
towards  Afghanistan  and  Kashmir.  This  was  a  long  and 
extremely  arduous  tour,  and,  unused  to  the  hardships 
of  sadhu  life,  Sundar  suffered  severely  from  the  cold 
and  privations  of  the  way.  Moreover  the  work  was 
difficult,  for  his  message  met  with  little  response.  It 
was  however  at  the  ancient  city  of  Jalalabad  in  Afghanis- 
tan that  he  met  some  Pathans,  who,  planning  his  destruc- 
tion, were  eventually  willing  to  receive  his  message. 
An  account  of  this  will  be  found  in  a  later  chapter. 

Up  to  this  point  it  seems  as  if  God  had,  little  by  little, 
weaned  Sundar  from  all  that  life  holds  dear.  Relativ^cs, 
wealth,  home,  had  all  gone  for  Christ.  Entering  the  new 
world  of  Christians  the  comfort  and  almost  certain 
preferment  that  would  have  been  his,  were  to  count  for 
naught  to  him  who  had  set  out  on  his  first  t</ur  to  make 
Christ  known  in  the  heathen  villages  amongst  the  moun- 
tains. The  cold  pierced  his  thin  clothing,  the  thorns  and 
stones   cut   his   bare   feet.     The   nights   came   with   no 

3 


k 


\ 


34  SADHU     SUNDAR     SINGH 

certainty  of  shelter  from  the  bitter  winds  and  pouring 
rain,  and  the  grey  dawn  often  brought  days  of  hunger  and 
suffering  such  as  he  had  never  known.  Even  his  fervent 
soul  quailed  at  the  hardship  that  seemed  to  bring  so  little 
return,  for  often  his  message  was  discredited  and  he  him- 
self cast  forth  to  spend  a  hungry  night  in  caves  or  any 
poor  shelter  the  jungle  might  afford.  His  sadhu's  clothes 
gave  him  entrance  everywhere,  but  often  when  it  was 
discovered  that  he  was  a  Christian,  Sundar  was  driven 
hungry  and  helpless  from  the  villages  to  live  or  die. 

But  nothing  can  discourage  him.  Incapable  of 
drawing  back  in  face  of  danger  or  death  itself,  Sadhu 
Sundar  Singh  continues  his  sublime  mission  in  the 
darkest  corners'  of  India  and  the  regions  beyond.  Year 
in  and  out  he  has  laboured  for  the  souls  of  men  in  plain 
and  mountain,  in  city  and  village,  and  amongst  the 
scattered  peoples  and  wandering  tribes  on  the  frontiers 
of  India.  It  has  been  amongst  these  peoples  that  he  has 
suffered  so  severely,  but  amongst  them  too  he  has  had 
the  supreme  joy  not  only  of  making  Christ  known,  but 
of  leading  men  to  His  feet.  His  chief  work  has  been 
done  amongst  non-Christians,  to  whom  he  feels  God's 
call  to  be  clear  and  unmistakable. 


CHAPTER    X 

Called  to  Preach 

•'  For  1  determined  not  to  know  anything  among  you,  save 
Jesus  Christ,  and  Him  erueified." — 1   Corinthians  ii.  2. 

Very  weary  after  his  long  and  hard  journey  through 
the  Punjab,  Kashmir,  Bahieliistan  and  Afghanistan,  the^ 
Sadhu  retraeed  his  ste]:)s  and  came  to  Kotgarh,  a  small 
plaee  beyond  Simla  in  the  Himalayas,  where  he  remained 
a  time  for  rest.  This  little  plaee  will  always  be  associated 
with  Sundar  Singh,  for  early  in  his  career  he  laboured 
ther<*,  and  it  is  to  Kotgarh  still  that  he  retires  for  a  brief 
rest  between  his  tours,  or  before  starting  on  his  arduous 
journeys  into  the  closed  lands  of  Tibet  and  Nepal. 

During  the  summer  of  1906,  Sundar  met  Mr.  Stokes, 
who  was  staying  near  Ketgarh.  This  wealthy  American 
gentleman  had  come  to  India  to  labour  for  her  people, 
and  for  the  glory  of  God.  Meeting  the  Sadhu  fired 
his  heart,  and  filled  him  with  a  desire  to  join  him  in 
his  arduous  life.  After  prayer  and  thought  Mr.  Stokes 
took  this  step,  and  the  two  Sadhus  took  a  journey 
together  through  the   Khangra  valley. 

Food  and  shelter  were  diihcult  to  obtain,  and  the 
two  brothers  suffered  much,  but  their  work  was  good 
and  their  fellowship  sweet.     It  was  during  this  journey 


36  SADHU     SUXDAR     SINGH 

that  Siindar  Singh  fell  ill.  The  two  Sadhus  had  travelled 
together  for  some  hundreds  of  miles,  sharing  the  same 
hardships,  often  being  obliged  to  seek  shelter  in  the 
common  filthy  serais,  and  often  subsisting  on  the  barest 
and  roughest  diet,  and  little  enough  of  that.  They  were 
passing  through  very  unhealthy  country  when  Sundar 
was  seized  with  fever  and  severe  internal  pains. 
Shaking  with  ague,  burning  with  fever  and  always  in 
pain,  he  dragged  on  luitil  at  last  he  could  walk  no 
longer.  He  sank  on  the  path  almost  unconscious,  and 
Mr.  Stokes  moved  him  into  an  easier  position,  enquiring 
at  the  same  time  as  to  how  he  was.  No  complaint  ever 
passes  the  lips  of  the  Sadhu  whatever  his  lot,  and  Mr. 
Stokes  was  not  at  all  surprised  to  receive  the  reply  he 
did.  With  a  smile,  though  in  a  feeble  voice,  the  Sadhu 
I  answered,  ''  I  am  very  happy.  How  sweet  it  is  to  suffer 
'^tor  His  sake."  Those  who  know  the  Sadhu  best  know 
that  "  this  is  the  key-note  of  .lis  life." 

It  was  a  wild  and  jungly  place  where  this  happened, 
and  Mr.  Stokes  was  in  great  difficulty,  but  he  succeeded 
in  getting  the  sick  man  to  the  house  of  a  European  some 
miles  away,  where  he  was  nursed  to  health  again.  The 
kind  host  was  at  that  time  without  any  care  for  religion, 
but  day  by  day  he  saw  the  example  of  the  Sadhu  and 
heard  such  things  from  his  lips  as  caused  him  to  think 
deeply,  imtil  he  became  a  truly  converted  man.  Thus 
was  this  illness  blessed  to  the  saving  of  one  soul  who 
found  joy  and  peace  in  Christ  Jesus. 

Mr.  Stokes  possessed  a  magic  lantern  which  the  Sadhu 
borrowed  and  used  in  Rampur  and  other  places  for 
street  preaching  at  night,  when  large  numbers  of  peojile 
gathered  to  see  the  pictures  and  hear  the  explanation. 
Thus  unwearicdly,  night  and  day,  the  two  Sadhus  passed 
from  place  to  place,  doing  most  of  their  travelling  by 
night,   because  the   sun   was   too   fierce  for  Mr.   Stokes 


(\LLEI)     TO     PREACH  37 

to  bear  its  rays  on  his  unprotected  head.  It  was  at 
this  time  that  Mr.  Stokes  spoke  so  appreciatively  of  the 
work  ot  the  Sadhu,  who,  though  not  much  more  than  a 
boy,  was  so  filled  with  his  message  that  wherever  he 
went  people  were  under  a  strange  compulsion  to  listen 
to  what  he  said. 

In  1907  the  two  Sadhus  laboured  in  the  Leper  Asylum 
at  Sal^aflTuT  and  later  in  the  year  they  went  down  to 
Lahore  to  work  amongst  the  plague-stricken  in  the 
Plague  Camp  there.  They  toiled  unremittingly  day  and 
night,  allowing  themselves  only  brief  hours  of  respite, 
and  even  these  were  spent  lying  on  the  ground  amongst 
the  sick  and  dying. 

The  next  year  Mr.  Stokes  went  to  America  on 
furlough  and  Sundar  was  once  ~m6re~Teft  alone.  From 
Lahore  he  went  on  to  Sindh,  returning  through  Rajputana 
to  North  India  again,  and  then  as  the  hot  weather  drew 
on  he  made  his  first  journey  into  the  closed  land  of 
Tibet.  In  all  these  places  the  Gospel  was  preached 
incessantly,  and  no  man  who  came  across  the  Sadhu 
went  away  without  hearing  that  Jesus  had  come  into 
the  world  to  save  sinners. 

After  his  return  from  Tibet  he  had  a  great  desire  to 
go  to  Palestine,  in  the  belief  that  to  see  the  place  where 
his  Saviour  had  lived  and  died  would  inspire  him  to 
fuller  and  better  service.  But  when  he  reached  Bombay 
he  found  it.  impracticable,  so  in  1909  he  returned  to 
North  India  through  the  Central  Provinces,  preaching 
as  he  went. 


SADIIU     SUNDAR     SINGH 
IIRADING      HIS      NKW     TESTAMENT 


CHAPTER   XI 

What  Wisdom  is  This  ? 

*'  From  whence  hath  this  Man  these  things  ?    and  what  wisdom 
is  this  which  is  given  unto  Him  .  .  .  ?— Mark  vi.  2. 

That  Sundar  Singh  was  taught  of  God  was  unmistak- 
ably shown  by  the  wonderful  hearing  he  got  amongst 
non-Christians  thus  early  in  his  career.  His  friends 
recognized  that  he  possessed  unusual  powers,  and  that 
his  presentation  of  the  Gospel  held  people  by  its  attrac- 
tiveness and  persuasiveness.  So  much  was  this  the  case 
that  they  felt  it  desirable  to  widen  the  sphere  of  his 
operatiq^is  by  including  the  Christian  community  among 
those  to  whom  hF~'wrnL"'^ut  for'This  some  definite 
pre^aration_j4Las  needed  and  they  advised  him  to  join 
tfie  St.  John's  Diyini£y__Collegc,  Lahore.  This  he  did, 
passing  oiT^ivEiry  the  examination  usually  imposed  at  the 
close  of  the  first  year,  and  proceeding  at  once  to  the 
second  year's  course.  The  years  1909  and  1910  were 
spent  in  study,  and  during  vacation  tune  he  continued 
his  evangelistic  work  as  heretofore. 

Sundar  stilj,  worg^tfaf  .,saffE£Ui_robc. The  sadhu  idea^ 

for  a  Christian  was  something  quite  new  at  that  time, 
and  was  a  cause  of  considerable  doubt  to  many.  But 
he  never  swerved  from  his  first  resolution,  although  the 


40  SADHU     SUNDAR     SINGH 

criticism    he    was   often   subjected  to,   tended    to    make 
these  years  hard  for  him. 

Whilst  Simdar  was  in  college  Mr.  Stokes  returned 
from  furlough,  having  gone  to  England  and  there  started 
the  idea  of  a  brotherhood,  whose  work  should  be  exclu- 
sively for  the  glory  of  God  and  the  help  of  man,  in  what- 
ever form  it  might  present  itself — not  necessarily  the 
work  of  preaching.  The  humbler  and  harder  the  labours, 
the  better !  The  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  was 
approached  on  the  matter,  and  seenied  to  tlnnk  ft  would 
be  a  good  thing,  so  that  after  Mr.  Stokes  returned 
to  India  this  brotbe^rhood  was  starte(3^'ith  five  persons, 
the  only  Indian  being  the  SadtitsT^  The  brotherhood  was 
inaugurated  in  a  solemn  service  in  Lahore  Cathedral, 
when  two  of  the  five  took  the  vows,  but  Sundar  remained 
a  novice,  having  already  vowed  himself  txTtKcTTf e  of^ 
sadhu  Tor  Christ's  sake. 

Upon  leaving  college  he  was  recommended  for 
deacon's  orders  by  the  Diocesan  Mission  Coimcil  and 
was  granted  a  licence  to  preach.  Soon  after  leaving 
college  his  heart  turned  to  Tibet,  whither  he  went  for 
the  six  months  of  hot  weather,  returning  to  Kotgarh, 
Avhere  he  worked  in  connexion  with  the  Church  Mission- 
ary Society  for  some  time. 

I  Like  the  great   English   preacher,   John   Wesley,   the 

iSadhu  loQked   upon   the  world^^as   his_4iaiislv,  ^  and    he 

/preached  everywhere  and  to  all  who  would  give  heed  to 

/his  message.     It  was  not  long  before  dissatisfaction  was 

/  expressed  at  his  methods  of  work.     He  was  told  that 

I  in  deacon's  orders  it  was  imdesirable,  and  that  as  a  priest 

I  it  would  be  impossible,  to  continue  working  in  this  way. 

I  The  pure  and  simple  spirit  of  the  man  never  for  a  moment 

staggered  or  stayed  to  contemplate  what  would  be  the 

result  if  he  declined  to  obey.     The  sheltered  life  of  a 

,    priest  with  its  possibilities  of  preferment  held  no  temptation 


WHAT     WISDOM     IS     THIS? 


tl 


for  Siindar.  On  his  knees  and  in  the  quiet  of  his 
own  spirit  he  settled  the  momentous  question,  and  then 
took  the  step  that  for  ever  set  him  tree  ot  all  sects.  He 
returned  his  Hcencc  to  preaeh,  to  his  Bishop,  explaining 
that  he  felt  called  to  preach  to  all,  and  wherever  God  sent 
him.  Bishop  Lefroy  (late  Metropolitan  of  India),  with  a 
generous  large-heartedncss,  accepted  the  reason  with  the 
licence. 

The  great  crisis  of  his  career  was  safely  past.  _From 
that  day  Sadhu  Sundar  Singh  made  himself  the  possession 
ojLChristians^  of  all  creeds,  and  also  set  hiinselfTree  for  a 
mighty  work  amongst  non-Christians  all  over  India. 


"^w®^ 


CHAPTER   XII 

Early  Experiences  as  a  Sadhu 

''  He  which  converteth  a  sinner  from  the  error  of  his  way  shall 
save  a  soul  from  death,  and  shall  hide  a  multitude  of  sins." — James 
V.  20. 

"  Joy  shall  be  in  heaven  over  one  sinner  that  repenteth." — 
Luke  XV.  7. 

The  years  1911  and  1912  were  spent  in  touring  in 
Garhwal,  Nepal,  Kulu,  the  Punjab,  and  many  other 
places,  whilst  each  year  during  the  six  months  of  hot 
weather  the  Sadhu  went  alone  to  Tibet.  The  following 
incidents  give  some  idea  of  his  life  and  work  at  that  time. 
Sundar  Singh  was  one  day  making  his  way  to  a  certain 
village  when  he  caught  sight  of  two  men  in  front  of  him, 
one  of  whom  suddenly  disappeared.  A  little  further  on 
he  overtook  the  remaining  man,  who  accosted  him,  and 
pointing  ta  a  sheeted  figure  on  the  ground  told  the  Sadhu 
that  this  was  his  friend  who  had  died  by  the  way,  and 
he  had  no  money  to  bury  him.  Sundar  had  only  his 
blanket  and  two  pice  which  had  been  given  him  for  the 
toll  bar,  but  these  he  gave  to  the  man  and  passed  on  his 
way.  He  had  not  gone  far  when  the  man  came  running 
after  him,  and  sobbed  out  that  his  companion  was  really 
dead.  The  Sadhu  did  not  understand,  until  he  began  to 
explain  that  it  was  their  custom  to  take  it  in  turns  to 
prey  on  the  public  by  pretending  one  of  them  was  dead. 


EARLY     EXPERIENCES     AS     A     SADHU  W 

This  they  had  done  for  years,  but  that  day  when  the  man 
went  back  to  call  his  friend  there  was  no  response,  and 
on  lifting  the  cloth  he  w^as  horror-stricken  to  find  him 
actually  dead.  The  wretched  man  sought  the  Sadhu's 
forgiveness,  being  assured  that  here  was  some  great  saint  '  vTT 
whom  he  had  robbed  of  all  he  had,  and  thus  had  the  dire 
displeasure  of  the  gods  fallen  upon  them.  Then  Sundar 
spoke  to  him  of  the  Lord  of  life,  and  in  that  penitent 
moment  the  man  accepted  the  message.  He  sent  him 
to  a  mission  station  near  Garhwal,  where  in  due  time  he 
was  baptized. 

On  one  of  his  long  journeys  in  the  mountains  the 
footpath  divided  at  a  certain  point,  and  he  w^as  in  doubt 
as  to  which  path  to  take.  He  chose  the  wrong  one,  and 
upon  arrival  at  a  village  he  found  he  had  gone  eleven 
miles  out  of  his  way.  Turning  back  Sundar  met  a  man 
with  whom  he  entered  into  conversation,  and  began  to 
speak  to  him  of  Christ.  Then  the  man  produced  from 
the  folds  of  his  clothes  a  copy  of  the  New  Testament, 
which  he  confessed  to  having  hid  when  he  saw  the  Sadhu 
coming,  in  the  belief  that  he  was  a  Hi-ndu  saiixA&L  The 
man  had  doubts  to  which  he  could  find  no  solution,  but 
Sundar  so  dealt  with  them  that  the  man  found  Christ. 
In  speaking  of  this  to  the  writer,  Simdar  remarked  : 
"  Then  I  knew  why  I  had  gone  astray,  for  Christ  had 
sent  me  to  help  this  anxious  soul." 

At  Narkanda  the  Sadhu  found  some  men  reaping  in 
a  field.  Joining  them  he  spoke  to  them,  as  they  worked, 
of  Jesus  and  eternal  things.  At  first  they  listened  with 
indifference  and  then  with  disapprobation.  They  had  no 
mind  to  hear  about  a  strange  religion.  Some  of  the  men 
hegan  to  curse  and  threaten  him,  and  one  took  a  stone 
and  hit  him  on  the  head.  After  a  time  the  man  who  had 
thrown  the  stone  was  seized  with  a  severe  headache  and 
had  to  stop  work.     The  Sadhu  then  took  up  the  scythe 


44  SADHU     SUNDAR     SIXGH 

and  reaped  with  the  others.  This  softened  their  hearts 
and  at  the  end  of  the  day  the  men  invited  him  to  accom- 
pany them  home.  In  the  quiet  of  the  evening  a  better 
opportunity  was  afforded  for  the  giving  of  his  message, 
and  then  he  went  away.  The  reapers,  having  rested, 
began  to  take  stock  of  the  harvest  gathered  that  day, 
and  to  their  astonishment  found  a  greater  yield  than 
they  had  had  in  previous  years.  They  were  then  afraid, 
and  declared  amongst  themselves  that  a  holy  man  had 
visited  them  and  this  increase  was  proof  of  it.  Then 
they  strove  to  find  the  Sadhu,  that  they  might  give  better 
heed  to  his  message,  but  foimd  him  nowhere. 

This  incident  was  published  in  a  North  Indian  paper, 
Tlie  Nur  Afshan,  by  one  of  the  men  present  on  the 
occasion,  who  made  an  appeal  through  its  pages  to  Sundar 
to   return   amongst   them   that   they   might   receive   his 
message. 

At  the  ancient  city  of  Jal41abad  the  Sadhu  found 
himself  amongst  a  cruel  and  treacherous  people,  who 
seeing  he  was  a  Christian  laid  a  plot  to  take  his  life. 
Sitting  to  rest  himself,  the  news  was  brought  to  him  by 
one  less  evil-disposed  than  the  rest,  but  as  he  had  done 
nothing  to  warrant  such  a  thing  he, found  it  difiRcult  to 
believe  it  possible.  However,  he  decided  to  take  the 
warning  and  to  seek  a  safer  retreat.  Only  the  common 
serai,  infested  with  mosquitoes  and  viler  insects  remained, 
so  to  this  he  went.  Next  morning,  when  he  had  lit  a  fire 
and  was  drying  his  wet  clothes,  a  number  of  Pathans 
arrived.  Much  to  his  amazement  the  foremost  of  these 
men  came  in  and  fell  at  his  feet.  The  Pathan  then 
explained  how  they  had  sought  to  take  his  life,  but  seeing 
him  had  altered  their  intention,  for  instead  of  his  being 
frozen  as  they  had  expected,  he  was  well  and  none  the 
^worse  for  his  experiences.  They  v/ere  driven  to  believe 
that  here  was  one  favoured  of  Allah,  and  they  begged 


EARLY     EXPERIENCES     AS     A     SADHU         45 


that  he  would  accept  of  their  hospitahty  and  accompany 
them  home.  The  Sadhii  spent  a  very  happy  week  with 
them,  and  they  gave  good  heed  to  his  teaching,  so  that 
he  believes  there  will  be  fruit  of  his  labours  amongst 


these  rough  and  hardened  men. 


< 


CHAPTER   XIII 

Obedience  by  Suffering 

•'  Yet  learned  He  obedience  by  the  things  whicli  He  suffered.'' — 
Hebrews  v.  8. 

•'  I  count  all  things  but  loss  .  .  .  that  I  may  know  Him  .  .  . 
and  the  fellowship  of  His  suffering," — Phil.  iii.  8,  10. 

Xo  one  but  Sadhii  Siindar  Singh'  himself  knows  how 
great  have  been  his  sufferings  clnring  his  years  of  servi(^e 
for  his  Master.  He  admits  that  very  often  he  has  gone 
without  ])roper  food,  being  redueed  to  eating  tlie  berries 
and  j)roduee  of  the  jimgle,  and  many  a  night  he  has 
been  driven  from  the  villages  and  been  obliged  to  sleep 
under  trees  or  in  eaves  of  the  earth.  The  parts  of  India 
where  the  ehief  of  his  work  has  been  done  are  no  plaees 
for  sueh  a  life,  so  that  it  is  not  surprising  that  on  more 
than  one  oceasion  the  Sadhu  has  shared  his  miserable 
shelter  with  a  snake  or  wild  animal. 

At  a  village  in  the  district  of  Thoria  the  people  behaved 
so  badly  to  him  that  his  nights  were  always  spent  in  the 
jmigle  as  hmg  as  he  was  working  amongst  them.  On  a 
particularly  dark  night,  after  a  discouragingly  hard  day, 
the  Sadhu  found  a  cave  where  he  spread  his  blanket  and 
lay  down  to  sleep.  When  daylight  came  it  revealed  the 
horrible  spectacle  of  a  large  leopard  still  asleep  close  to 
him.  The  sight  almost  paralysed  him  with  fear,  but 
once  outside  the  cave  he  could  only  reflect  upon  the 
great  providence  of  God  that  had  preserved  him  while 


> 


OBEDIENCE     BY     SUFFERING  47 

he  slept.     His  own  words  are  :    "  Never  to  this  day  has 
any  wild  animal  done  nie  any  harm.*' 

On  another  occasion,  being  driven  ont  of  ^t  certain 
village,  Sundar  went  to  meditate  on  a  rock  close  to  a 
cave.  Deep  in  contemplation,  it  was  some  time  before 
he  noticed  that  he  was  being  stealthily  observed  by  a 
black  panther  that  was  crouching  not  far  away.  Filled 
with  fear  but  putting  his  trust  in  God,  he  quietly  rose 
and  walked  forward  as  if  nothing  were  there.  He  got 
away  safely  to  the  village,  and  when  the  people  knew 
of  his  escape  they  declared  he  must  be  a  very  holy  man, 
since  this  very  panther  had  killed  several  people  from 
that  village.  They  then  gathered  round  to  receive  the 
message  which  they  had  spurned  before,  and  so  Sundar 
again  thanked  God  and  took  courage. 

One  morning  a  number  of  sadhus  were  gathered  on 
the  banks  of  the  Ganges  at  a  place  called  Rishi  Kesh 
amidst  a  crowd  of  religious  bathers,  and  amongst  them 
stood  Sadhu  Simdar  Singh,  Testament  in  hand,  preach- 
ing. Some  were  listening  in  a  mildly  interested  way, 
whilst  others  joked  and  scoffed  at  the  man  and  his 
message.  Unexpectedly  a  man  from  the  crowd  lifted  up 
a  handful  of  sand  and  threw  it  in  his  eyes,  an  act  that 
roused  the  indignation  of  a  better-disposed  man,  who 
handed  the  offender  over  to  a  policeman.  Meanwhile 
the  Sadhu  went  down  to  the  river  and  washed  the  sand 
from  his  eyes.  Upon  his  return  he  begged  for  the  release 
of  the  culprit  and  proceeded  with  his  preaching.  Sur- 
prised by  this  act  and  the  way  he  had  taken  the  insidt, 
the  man,  Vidyananda,  fell  at  his  feet  begging  his  forgive- . 
ness,  and  declaring  a  desire  to  understand  more  of 
what  the  Sadhu  was  speaking  about.  This  man  bec^ame 
a  seeker  after  truth,  and  afterwards  accompanied  him 
on  his  journey,  learning  with  meekness  from  his  lip^  the 
story  of  redeeming  love. 


48  SADHU     SUNDAR     SINGH 

Very  early  in  his  pilgrimages  Sundar  travelled  through 
a  number  of  villages,  one  of  which  was  called  Doliwahi. 
The  day  had  been  a  hard  one,  the  march  very  long,  and 
the  Sadhu  arrived  utterly  exhausted  and  badly  in  need 
of  food  and  rest.  Walking  down  the  village  street  he 
asked  again  and  again  for  some  shelter  where  he  might 
spend  the  night,  but  in  every  place — when  it  was  dis- 
covered that  he  was  a  Christian — he  was  driven  away. 
Heavy  rain  was  falling  and  it  was  bitterly  cold.  Wearied 
almost  to  death,  Sundar  sought  refuge  in  a  ruined  hut  of 
two  rooms,  without  doors  or  windows.  At  least  he  was 
out  of  the  rain,  and  thanking  God  he  laid  his  blanket  in 
the  driest  s]3ot  and  went  hungry  to  bed. 

Soon  he  fell  asleep,  and  did  not  wake  until  the  chilly 
jjrev  dawn  came.  In  the  half-darkness  he  saw  a  black 
object  coiled  up  in  his  blanket  close  beside  him,  and 
looking  closer  he  discovered  that  a  huge  cobra  had  also 
sought  shelter  and  warmth  beside  him.  Speedily  he 
escaped  from  the  hut,  leaving  the  snake  asleep,  but  on 
further  thought  he  returned.  Seizing  a  corner  of  the 
blanket  he  shook  it  free  of  the  venomous  re])tile,  which 
sluggishly  wriggled  off  to  the  furthest  corner  of  the  room. 
Sundar  then  took  his  blanket  with  a  feeling  of  great 
thankfulness  that  God  had  taken  care  of  him  in  the  hours 
of  sleep,  and  spared  him  for  further  service. 

An  educated  Ary^a  Samaj  gentleman  relates  how 
one  day  when  he  v,'as  descending  a  moimtain  he  met  a 
yoimg  Sadhu  going  up.  Curiosity  prompted  him  to 
watch  what  would  happen,  so  instead  of  joining  him  for 
a  talk  as  he  at  first  thought  of  doing,  he  waited,  and  this 
was  what  he  saw.  When  the  Sadhu  got  to  the  village 
he  sat  down  upon  a  log,  and  wiping  the  j)erspiration 
from  his  face  he  commenced  singing  a  Christian  hymn. 
Soon  a  crowd  gathered,  but  when  it  was  found  that  the 
love  of  Christ  was  the  theme  many  of  the  people  became 


OBEDIENCE     BY     SUFFERING 


49 


angry.  One  man  jumped  up  and  dealt  him  such  a 
severe  blow  as  felled  him  to  the  ground,  cutting  his  cheek 
and  hand  badly.  Without  a  word  Sundar  rose  and 
bound  up  his  bleeding  hand,  and  with  blood  running 
down  his  face  prayed  for  his  enemies  and  spoke  to  them 
of  the  forgiving  love  of  Christ.  In  writing  of  this  inci- 
dent this  gentleman  adds  that  he  himself,  by  seeing  the 
Sadhu's  conduct,  was  ''  drawn  out  of  the  well  of  contempt, 
and  brought  to  the  fountain  of  life.*'  The  man,  Kripa 
Ram,  who  had  thrown  Sundar  down,  sought  long  and 
earnestly  for  him,  in  the  hope  that  he  might  be  baptized 
by  "  that  wounded  hand,"  but  not  finding  him,  he  openly 
confessed  Christ  by  baptism,  and  still  hopes  to  see  Sadhu 
Sundar  Singh  some  day. 


CHAPTER    XIV 

The  Vast 

"  When  thou  prayest  .  .  .  pray  to  thy  Father  which  is  in 
secret." — Matthew  vi.  G, 

'•  When  thou  fastest  .  .  .  appear  not  unto  men  to  fast,  but  to 
thy  Father,  wliieh  is  in  secret." — Matthew  vi.  17,  18. 

Towards  the  end  of  1912  a  letter  was  received  by  the 
Rev.  Canon  Sandys  of  Calcutta,  from  Canada,  asking  for 

"  A  Christian  Sikh  to  be  sent  as  a  preacher  to  work  amongst 
4000  Sikh  lumbermen  in  British  Columbia.  The  request  was 
laid  before  Sundar  Singh,  who  at  once  agreed  to  go.  .  .  . 
Everything  was  ready  for  bim,  when  the  shipping  agents 
declined  to  send  him,  on  the  ground  that  the  Canadian  Govern- 
ment had  passed  immigration  laws  which  made  it  impossible 
for  them  to  book  him  through.''  Sundar  Singh  felt  the 
disappointment  keenly,  but  simply  said,  ''  Perhaps  it  is  not 
(Jod"s  will  I  should  ever  go  to  Canada." 

Later  Canon  Sandys  wrote,  "  I  failed  to  get  a  pass- 
port for  him,  as  the  Government  no  donbt  was  at  that 
time  receiving  ^private  information  about  the  Columbian 
Sikhs."  And  so  to  the  Sadhu's  sorrow  the  idea  had  to 
be  abandoned. 

He  then  worked  his  way  across  the  coiuitry  from 
Calcutta  to  Bombay,  and  eventually  north  again.  >  After 
his  baptism  he  had  t^Q  strong  desires,  one  behig  to 
visit  Palestine,  the  scene  of  our  Saviour's  life  and  work, 


THE     FAST  -         51 

and  the  ot^er  to  imitate  Jesus  in  fasting  forty  days  and 
forty  nights^  "liy  these  means  he  fiopeata-obtain  fresh 
spiritua^enhghtcnmcnt.  To  achieve  the  first  in  1908  he 
made  his  way  to  Bombay,  but  found  that  for  various 
reasons  the  journey  at  that  time  was  impraetieabJe. 
Some  four  years  later,  when  the  proposed  visit  to  Canada 
tell  through,  the  Sadhu's  mind  turned  to  the  idea  of 
retirement  for  })rayer  and  fasting,  in  the  belief  that 
these  things  would  minister  to  the  great  need  for  a  closer 
connnunion  with  God  and  increased  power  for  service/    ■ 

It  was  about  this  time  that  he  came  in  contact  with 
a  Roman  Catholic  medical  man,  a  Franciscan,  call  in*' 
himself  Dr.  Swift,  and  travelling  with  him  np  north  they 
discussed  the  idea  of  a  fast,  the  latter  striving  to  dissuade 
the  Sadhu  from  attempting  it,  and  declaring  that  death 
would  surely  result  if  he  did.  Seeing,  however,  that  he 
still  desired  to  accomplish  it,  the  Doctor  begged  him  to 
give  him  the  addresses  of  his  chief  friends,  that  in  case 
of  necessity  he  might  comnumicate  with  them. 

This  was  done  and  the  two  men  parted,  the  Doctor 
with  the  intention  of  joining  a  Catholic  fraternity,  and 
the  Sadhu  with  the  determination  to  seek  retirement 
that  he  might  give  himself  to  fasting  and  prayer.  The 
Doctor  wrote  to  a  friend  of  his  near  Dehra  Dun  telling 
him  of  what  was  happening,  while  away  in  the  jungly 
countrv  between  Hardwar  and  Dehra  Dun,  Sundar  Sin<>h 
went  alone  to  meet  his  God. 

The  days  passed  without  any  news  of  him  filtering 
through  to  the  outside  world,  and  meanwhile  he  remained 
in  the  jungle  without  food,  and  growing  weaker  everv 
day.  Having  been  warned  as  to  what  might  happen  to 
him  the  Sadhu  made  provision  for  increasing  weakness 
by  collecting  forty  stones,  one  of  which  he  dropped  each 
day  in  order  to  keep  the  count,  but  at  length  he  was 
unable  even  to  do  this.     His  hearing  and  sight  left  him 


52  SADHU     SUNDAR     SIXCJH 

and  he  lay  as  one  in  a  trance,  conscious  of  what  was 
going  on  abont  him  but  unable  to  make  any  outward 
sign  of  life.  As  physical  powers  declined  and  extreme 
exhaustion  set  in  he  felt  within  himself  a  great  quicken- 
ing of  the  spirit,  and  in  this  state  his  complete  depen- 
dence upon  God,  and  other  matters  of  intense  spiritual 
importance,  were  revealed  to  him,  so  that  since  that 
time  none  of  the  doubts  that  once  assailed  him  have  had 
any  power  over  him.  In  this  condition  he  was  found 
by  some  bamboo-cutters  who.  seeing  his  saffron  robe, 
lifted  him  into  his  blanket,  and  conveyed  him  to  Rishi 
Kesh  and  then  to  Dehra  Dun.  From  thence  he  was  sent 
in  a  carriage  to  Annficld.  So  altered  was  he  in  appear- 
ance by  what  he  had  passed  through  that  he  was  not 
recognized  by  his  Christian  friends  at  Annficld.  But 
they  knew  who  he  was  by  the  name  in  his  Testament, 
and  carefully  nursed  him  back  to  life. 

Meanwhile  Dr.  Swift  received  news  from  his  friend 
that  a  man  corres})onding  to  his  description  of  the  Sadhu 
had  been  discovered  in  the  jungle  at  the  point  of  death. 
Surmising  that  his  predictions  had  come  true  the  Doctor 
(possibly  through  a  friend)  wired  to  the  Sadhu's  friends 
that  "  Sundar  Singh  slept  in  Jesus.''  The  Metropolitan 
and  Canon  Sandys  were  two  of  the  six  who  recei\'ed  these 
telegrams.  The  latter  wrote  to  the  station  master  from 
whence  the  telegrams  had  been  sent,  making  enquiries  as 
to  who  the  sender  was,  and  the  reply  came  that  they  had 
been  handed  in  "  by  a  black-coated  gentleman." 

Whilst   Simdar   was   lying  weak   and   ill   at    Annficld. 
nnconscious  of  the  rejwrts  being  circulated  about  him, 
obituaries  appeared  in  the  pa]>ers,  and  a  niemorial  service 
was  held  in  the  church  at  Simla,  money  also  being  contri- 
buted for  a  tablet  to  be  placed  there  in  his  memory.     By        . 
March   he  was  well  enough  to  resume  his  travels,  and       I 
went  up  to  Simla,  Avhen  he  heard  the  story  of  his  reported       | 
death. 


THE     FAST 


53 


This  fearful  experience  did  bring  the  spiritual  enlighten- 
ment the  Sadhu  had  believed  it  would,  and  although 
count  of  time  was  lost,  and  the  fast  could  not  have  lasted 
for  forty  days,  this  enlightenment  was  gained  almost  at 
the  loss  of  his  life. 


^p!' 


CHAPTER    XV 

Further  Journeys  and  Persecutions 

"  Christ  shall  be  nuignificd  in  mv  both',  whether  it  be  bv  hfe  or 
by  death."— Phil.  i.  20. 

After  his  recovery  from  tlie  effects  of  the  fast,  Sadliu 
Siindar  Singh  went  aoain  to  Tibet  for  the  six  months  of 
the  hot  weather  of  191.3.  and  returning  spent  the  cold 
season  touring  through  North  India.  Early  the  follow- 
ing year  he  was  again  in  Bengal,  and  working  his  way 
up  to  Darjeeling  he  entered  Sikkim.  The  Native  States 
bordering  Northern  India,  chief  of  which  arc  Nei)al, 
Sikkim,  and  Bhutan,  are  ruled  by  princes  of  their  own, 
and  arc  as  hostile  to  Christianity  as  Tibet  itself.  The 
people  are  su])erstitious  and  ignorant,  and  the  ])reaehiug 
of  a  foreign  religion  is  strictly  prohibited  within  certain 
areas.  In  1914  Sadhu  Sundar  Singh  entered  Nepal 
knowing  that  he  ran  every  risk  of  ill-treatment  and 
possibly  death.  For  some  time,  however,  in  spite  of 
o])position  and  threats,  he  went  from  place  to  place 
publishing  the  good  news  \mtil  he  came  to  a  town  called 
Ilom.  He  had  not  been  there  long  when  he  was  told 
he  must  discontinue  preaching  or  some  evil  would  befall 

him. 

An  order  was  issued  for  his  imprisomiient,  and  whilst 
delivering  his  message  he  was  seized  and  hurried  off  to 


FURTHER  JOURNEYS  AND  PERSECUTIONS  55 

the  common  prison,  to  spend  his  days  and  nights  with 
murderers  and  thieves.  Here  was  an  opportunity  for 
him  to  speak  for  his  Master,  and  soon  he  began  to  tell 
the  unhappy  prisoners  of  the  power  of  Christ  to  change 
men's  hearts  and  to  bring  peace  to  their  consciences  even 
within  the  dismal  walls  of  a  prison.  Many  believed  his 
message  of  joy  and  accepted  Christ,  and  thus  were  these 
fearful  days  converted  into  seasons  of  blessing  both  to 
the  Sadhu  and  to  those  whom  he  taught. 

The   news   that   he   was   changing   the   hearts    of    his 
fellow-prisoners    was   told    in    high    places,    and   on   this 
charge  Sundar  was  removed  from  the  prison  and  taken   ' 
to   the   public    market   for   punishment.     Here   he    was 
stripped  of  his  clothes  and  made  to  sit  on  the  bare  earth. 
His  feet  and  hands  were  fastened  into  holes  in  upright 
boards  (stocks),  and   in   this   crijipled   position,   without 
food  or  water,  he  was  made  to  remain  all  day  and  the 
following  night.     To  add  to  his  tortures  a  number  of 
leeches   were   thrown   over   his   naked   body,   and   these 
immediately  fastened  upon  him  and  began  to  suck  his 
life-blood.     He  carries  the  marks  of  this  horrible  treat- 
ment to-day,  so  that  of  him  it  may  be  truly  said,  "  I 
bear   in   my   body   the  marks   of  the  Lord   Jesus."      A 
mocking  crowd   stood   roimd   to  watch  his  torture,  and 
none  offered  him  even  a  drink  of  water  to  relieve  his 
physical  misery.     In  speaking  of  this  experience  to  the 
writer  the  Sadhu  said,  "  I  do  not  know  how  it  was,  but 
my  heart  was  so  full  of  joy  I  could  not  help  singing  and 
preaching." 

Through  the  long  night  he  agonized,  growing  hourly 
weaker  with  loss  of  blood,  but  when  morning  came  he 
was  still  alive.  When  his  persecutors  saw  the  Sadhu's 
tranquil  face  they  were  filled  with  superstitious  dread, 
and  being  sure  that  he  held  some  strange  power  they 
did  not  imderstand,  they  took  him  out  of  the  stocks  and 


56  SADHU     SUNDAR     SINGH 

set  him  free.  This  dreadful  experience  had  made  him 
so  weak  that  he  fell  uRConscious,  and  only  after  some 
time  and  many  attempts  did  he  manage  to  crawl  away 
from  the  spot.  In  that  place  were  some  secret  believers 
belonging  to  the  Sanyasi  Mission  (spoken  of  in  a  later 
chapter)  and  these  kind  people  received  their  wounded 
brother  and  cared  for  him  until  strength  returned. 

The  Sadhu's  brief  record  of  his  days  in  the  prison  of 
Ilom  will  be  found  in  a  later  chapter,  and,  as  in  his  case 
it  is  to  be  expected,  he  ascribes  his  great  joy  in  that 
dreary  place  to  the  near  companionship  of  his  never- 
failing  Friend,  Jesus  Christ. 

At  Srinagar  in  Garhwal,  he  had  a  most  unexpected 
experience.  He  knew  that  this  was  a  dangerous  place 
in  which  to  speak  of  Christ,  but  one  day  when  he  was 
preaching  outside  the  city  some  young  men  taunted 
him  by  saying  he  dare  not  say  such  things  inside  the 
city.  He  felt  impelled  to  accept  the  challenge,  and 
entering  the  city  he  went  to  the  market  place  and  there 
started  to  preach.  Upon  seeing  this  some  of  the  by- 
standers hurried  off  to  bring  the  pandit  of  the  place, 
hoping  he  would  controvert  the  Sadhu's  statements  and 
put  him  to  shame. 

When  the  pandit  arrived  he  went  up  to  Sundar,  and 
in  front  of  all  the  people  he  placed  his  two  forefingers 
in  the  Sadhu's  mouth  with  the  w^ords,  *'  I  have  done 
this  to  prove  that  we  are  brothers,  and  not  enemies  as 
you  suppose,  for  we  both  believe  in  Jesus  Christ  as 
Saviour."  The  effect  upon  the  crowd  was  electrical,  and 
before  many  minutes  had  passed  all  his  enemies  had 
vanished  away.  Smidar  then  passed  one  of  the  happiest 
days  of  his  life  in  conversation  with  this  good  man, 
discovering,  much  to  his  joy,  that  the  pandit  only  pro- 
longed his  stay  in  that  dark  place  in  order  to  bring  others 
to  the  light.     Already  he  had  by  God's  grace  secretly 


FURTHER  JOURNEYS  AND  PERSECUTIONS  57 

won  sixteen  souls,  and  intended  to  carry  on  this  work 
so  long  as  it  was  God's  will  he  should. 

In  the  wild  and  inhospitable  regions  which  Sadhu 
Sundar  Singh  often  needs  to  pass  through  in  the  course 
of  his  missionary  journeys,  he  naturally  has  varied  and 
often  most  extraordinary  experiences.  One  such  oc- 
curred when  he  was  passing  through  the  thickly  wooded 
forests  of  Bhulera,  which  is  a  favourite  haunt  of  thieves 
and  murderers.  Four  men  suddenly  intercepted  him 
and  one  rushed  on  him  with  a  drawn  knife.  Unable  to 
protect  himself,  and  believing  the  end  had  come,  he 
bowed  his  head  to  receive  the  blow.  This  unexpected 
conduct  caused  the  man  to  hesitate,  and  to  ask  instead 
that  the  Sadhu  should  hand  over  all  he  had.  He  was 
searched  for  money,  but  finding  none  his  blanket  was 
seized  and  he  was  allowed  to  pursue  his  way. 

Thankful  to  escape  with  his  life  he  went  on,  but  before 
he  had  gone  far  one  of  them  called  to  him  to  return, 
and  now  certain  that  death  awaited  him  he  turned 
back.  The  man  then  enquired  who  he  was  and  what 
was  his  teaching.  Sundar  told  him  that  he  was  a 
Christian  Sadhu,  and  opening  his  Testament  he  read  to 
him  the  story  of  the  rich  man  and  Lazarus.  The  man 
listened  attentively,  and  in  reply  to  the  question  as  to 
what  were  his  thoughts,  he  replied  that  the  end  of  the 
rich  man  had  filled  him  with  dread,  adding  that  if  such 
a  terrible  punishment  followed  so  small  a  sin  what  would 
become  of  greater  sinners. 

The  opportunity  thus  afforded  was  quickly  seized  by 
the  Sadhu.  He  immediately  opened  up  the  riches  of 
God's  grace  to  him,  and  listening,  the  man's  heart  was 
deeply  moved.  He  poured  out  a  miserable  story  of  guilt 
and  sin,  amidst  many  sobs  and  tears.  He  then  took 
Sundar  to  his  cave,  prepared  food  for  him,  and  begged 
him  to  eat.     After  some  more  conversation  and  a  short 


58  SADHU     SUNDAR     SINGH 

prayer,  the  two  men  retired  to  rest.  Very  early  next 
morning  the  man  awoke  Sundar  and,  bringing  him  out- 
side took  him,  to  a  cave  where  there  was  a  ghastly  heaj) 
of  human  bones.  With  loud  weeping  he  pointed  to  the 
bones  and  said,  "  These  are  my  sins  ;  tell  me,  is  there 
any  hope  for  such  as  me  ?  "  '  The  Sadhu's  heart  was 
touched  by  the  man's  anxiety  and  contrition,  and  he 
told  him  of  the  thief  who  was  forgiven  on  the  cross. 
Then  they  knelt  together  and  the  poor  sinner  sobbed 
out  his  repentance  to  God.  Before  the  Sadhu  had 
fuiished  with  him,  the  man  had  made  a  start  on  the  strait 
and  narrow  way,  and  together  they  went  to  Labcha, 
Sakkum,  where  he  was  handed  over  to  the  missionaries 
and  eventually  baptized.  The  other  three  men  also  gave 
up  their  bad  life  and  took  to  honest  ()ccui)ations.  Thus 
was  the  Sadhu  used  for  the  help  of  four  great  simiers. 


CHAPTER    XVI 

Tibet 

The  Chumbi  valley  on  the  northern  side  of  Darjccling 
is  an  indeseribably  lovely  and  sediietive  spot,  and  is  one 
of  the  a]:)proaehes  to  the  barest  and  most  inhospitable 
eonntry  of  Asia — Tibet. 

Tibet  has  not  always  been  a  closed  land.  Until  the 
end  of  the  eij>hteenth  century  only  physical  obstacles 
stood  in  the  way  of  entry  into  Lhasa  itself.  Jesuits  and 
Capuchins  reached  Lhasa  and  made  long  stays  there, 
and  were  even  encouraged  by  the  Tibetan  government. 
As  early  as  1325  it  is  known  that  foreigners  visited  the 
country,  but  the  first  Europeans  to  reside  in  Lhasa 
arrived  there  in  1661. 

Two  centuries  ago  Europeans  might  travel  in  remote 
parts  of  Asia  with  greater  safety  than  is  possible  to-day, 
for  now  the  white  man  inspires  fear  where  he  used  only 
to  awaken  curiosity.  At  the  end  of  the  eighteenth 
century  the  Nepalese  o\'erran  Tibet,  and  the  Chinese  being 
called  in  to  aid,  almost  annihilated  the  Gurkhas.  From 
that  time  China  praetieally  ruled  in  Lhasa.  The  policy 
of  strict  exclusion  dates  from  then.  Since  the  decline 
of  China's  power,  a  Tibetan  Mission  to  the  Czar,  supj)osedly 
of  a  religious  character,  brought  Tibet  somewhat  under 
the  influence  of  Russia.  Several  Buriat  lamas  had  l)een 
educated  in  Russia,  chief  of  whom  was  one  Dorjieff,  who 


60  SADHU     SUXDAU     SINGH 

headed  the  Russo-Tibetaii  Mission  of  1901.  Durjieff  and 
others  inspired  dreams  of  a  eonsolidated  Buddhist 
reH'^ion,  under  tlie  spiritual  control  of  the  Dalai  Lama, 
backed  by  the  military  power  of  Uussia  ;  this  was 
believed  possible  because  the  ij^norant  hunas  imai^uned 
Russia  to  be  a  liuddhist  country. 

Tibet  is  a  mysterious  country  with  an  ancient  but 
arrested  civilization  ;  a  land  where  prayer  llaos  lluttcr 
in  the  wind,  and  where  men  s])end  half  their  time  in 
turning  mechanical  prayer  wheels.  The  ])eo])le  are 
medircval  in  i»()vernnu'nt.  AViteheraft,  incantations,  and 
ordeals  by  lire  and  boilino-  are  still  emumon.  The  entire 
po])ulation  is  only  about  six  luillions. 

In  Lhasa,  the  home  of  the  Ruddha  and  the  Dalai  Lama, 
is  a  superbly  detached  buildinff  on  a  hill  of  rock  called 
the  Pctala.  "  Its  massive  walls,  its  terraces  and  bastions 
stretch  uj)ward  from  the  plain  to  the  <'rest,  and  are 
crowned  with  olitterin^  domes  shinin<^  with  turcpioise 
and  ^old.  At  its  feet  lies  the  squalid  city  of  Lhasa. 
Buddhism  holds  all  lite  sacred,  yet  this  })lace,  where 
dwells  the  divine  incarnation,  has  witnessed  more  nuirder 
than  even  the  bloodstained  castles  of  mediaeval  Europe.*' 

The  Buddhist  religion  is  the  one  thing  that  keeps  the 
nation  together,  and  every  family  must  contribute  one 
son  to  the  priestly  order  of  Lamas.  Hundreds  of  years 
ago  a  Buddhist  saint  predicted  that  Tibet  would  one  day 
be  invaded  and  conquered,  and  Buddhism  would  become 
extinct.  Thus  it  is  that  a  blind  fear  and  faiuitieism 
combine  to  keep  all  doors  of  entrance  closed  to  this 
land,  and  the  teaching  of  a  forcigH  religion  more  than 
anything  else  brings  down  on  the  head  of  the  offender 
the  sc\erest  persecution,  and  even  the  most  cruel  death. 


CHAPTER    XVII 

vSuxDAK  IN  Tibet — I 

-  Wlicii  I  came  ...  to  pn  ach  C  hrist's  gospel,  fi  door  was 
opeiuii  unto  me  r.f  the  Lord  "  (2  Cor.  ii.  12)  ...  a  great  door 
.  .   .  and  there  are  many  adversaries."'' — 1  Cor,  xvi.  9. 

•  Their  feet  are  swift  to  .siicd  hlood  .  .  .  anil  the  way  of  peaee 
have  they  not  known." — Romans  iii.  15-17. 

Born  and  bred  in  the  far  north  and  familiar  with  the 
mountainous  regions  of  the  Himalayas,  Sundar's  heart 
turned  to  the  dark  })!aees  where  no  vision  of  Christ  has 
eome. 

Feeling  as  he  does  about  Christ  it  is  not  surprising  that 
he  eventually  made  ehoiec  of  the  most  diffieult  and 
dangerous  fields  ''  where  Christ  is  not  named  "  as  his 
peeuliar  sphere.  It  tlierefore  seems  quite  a  natural 
thing  that  the  mind  of  Sadhu  Sundar  Singh  should  have 
turned  to  the  elosed  land  of  Tibet  soon  after  he  set  out 
to  preach  the  Gospel.  For  more  than  a  eentury  the  vast 
continent  of  India  had  had  its  missionaries,  and  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  India's  children  had  responded  to  the 
call  of  Christ,  many  of  whom  in  their  turn  had  become 
messengers  of  peace  to  their  own  people.  In  his  own 
words,  "  There  are  many  to  proclaim  the  truth  in  India," 
but  as  he  turned  towards  Tibet  and  the  contiguous 
country  of  Nepal,  his  heart  went  out  to  the  people  who 
have  no  means  of  hearing  of  Christ. 


02  SADHl'     SrXDAR     SINGH 

Foreign  niissionarics  are  debarred  from  enterin":  the 
country,  and  it  is  scarcely  easier  for  an  Indian,  for  he 
must  not  only  face  the  inhospitality  of  the  bitter  climate, 
but  the  active  hostility  of  a  half-civilized  and  wholly 
fanatical  people.  But  to  suffer  for  the  Master's  sake  has 
been  a  great  mark  of  the  life  of  Sadhu  Sundar  Singh,  and 
so,  undismayed  by  what  probably  lay  before  him,  he  set 
out  whilst  still  a  boy  on  his  first  journey  into  that  land 
of  bigotry  and  darkness. 

Christ  the  Son  of  God  hath  sent  me 

Through  the  midnight  lands, 
Mine  the  mighty  ordination 

Of  the  pierced  hands. 

I'^nfortunately  the  Sadhu  has  not  kept  any  connected 
account  of  his  work  and  journeys  through  Tibet,  so  that 
all  there  is  to  tell  is  in  the  shape  of  fragments  of  his 
exj)eriences,  sufferings,  and  successes  in  that  fascinating 
and  yet  terrible  land. 

On  his  "first  journey  in  19iij8^,when  he  was  scarcely 
nineteen  years  of  age,  he  started  alone  and  was  unac- 
quainted with  the  language  spoken  in  Tibet.  He  was 
very  glad  to  avail  himself  of  the  help  offered  to  him  by 
two  Moravian  missionaries  working  at  Poo,  a  little 
frontier  town.  He  stayed  a  week  with  these  good  men, 
and  then  they  gave  him  a  worker  of  their  own  who  was  to 
accompany  him  for  some  distance,  and  instruct  him  in 
the  dialect  of  the  people.  Except  that  he  knew  the 
intense  hostility  of  the  Tibetans  to  every  religion  but 
their  own,  the  Sadhu  had  little  knowledge  of  place  or 
people,  but  it  was  not  long  that  he  remained  in 
ignorance. 

He  soon  found  they  resented  his  teaching,  and 
wherever  he  went  he  was  met  with  bitter  opposition 
and  hatred,  especially  from  the  Lamas.  These  men  were 
particularly  venomous,  and  often  assumed  a  threateniiij; 


SUNDAR     IX     TIBET— I  63 

attitude  on  the  border  of  the  crowds  that  gathered  to 
hear  his  preaching.  Notwithstanding?  this,  he  reached 
the  important  town  of  Tashigang  in  safety,  and  was 
astonished  and  pleased  to  receive  kindly  treatment  at 
the  hands  of  the  head  Lama  of  the  place.  This  man  was 
a  person  of  importance,  and  under  him  served  some 
himdreds  of  inferior  lamas. 

The  Lama  not  only  received  the  Sadhu  with  kindness 
but  provided  him  with  food  and  shelter,  and  as  the 
weather  was  bitterly  cold  this  hospitality  was  most 
acceptable.  Moreover  the  Lama  called  a  gathering  of 
those  under  his  control  to  hear  the  Sadhu's  message, 
and  so  the  Gospel  was  preached  by  him  with  great  thank- 
fulness of  heart. 

Journeying  on  from  this  place  he  was  fortunate  enough 
to  arrive  at  a  town  under  the  rule  of  another  Lama  who 
was  a  friend  of  the  Lama  of  Tashigang,  and  here  again 
he  was  accorded  a  welcome  and  a  good  hearing.  From 
this  place  he  visited  several  other  towns  and  villages,  but 
in  these  he  met  with  even  greater  opposition  than  in  his 
earlier  work.  He  was  constantly  threatened  and  warned 
to  get  out  of  the  count rv  lest  some  evil  befall  him.  But 
he  was  not  to  be  thus  terrorized,  and  he  continued  his 
work  amidst  many  diiriculties. 

Thus  has  Sadhu  Sundar  Singh  "  besieged  this  strong- 
hold of  bigotry  and  fanaticism,"  and  in  doing  so  has 
passed  through  many  tribulations  ;  but  to  him  persecu- 
tion and  infamy  are  as  nothing  if  he  may  win  but  one 
soul  for  his  Saviour.  A  Ceylon  friend  says,  "  Ilis  resolu- 
tion to  walk  barefooted  amidst  the  ]KT}ictual  snows  of 
Tibet  is  the  mark  of  his  invincible  determination  to 
briuir  men  to  Christ." 


CHAPTER    XVIII 
SuNDAR  IN  Tibet — II 

"  For  the  work  of  Christ  he  was  nigh  unto  death,  not  regarding 
his  life."— Phil.  ii.  30. 

"  I  am  ready  not  to  be  bound  only,  but  also  to  die  .  .  .  for  the 
name  of  the  Lord  Jesus." — Acts  xxi.  13. 

With  a  deep  determination  to  make  the  name  of  Christ 
known  in  this  hostile  eoinitry  the  Sadhii  continued  his 
work,  knowing  that  sooner  or  later  bitter  persecution 
would  be  his  lot.  At  a  town  called  Rasar  he  was 
arrested  and  arraigned  before  the  head  Lama  on  the 
charge  of  entering  the  country  and  preaching  the  Gospel 
of  Christ.  He  was  found  guilty,  and  amidst  a  crowd 
of  evil-disposed  persons  he  was  led  away  to  the  place 
of  execution.  The  two  favourite  forms  of  capital 
punishment  are  being  sewn  up  in  a  wet  yak  skin  and  put 
out  in  the  sun  until  death  ends  the  torment,  or  being 
cast  into  the  depths  of  a  dvy  well,  the  top  being  firmly 
fastened  over  the  head  of  the  cul{Trit.  The  latter  was 
chosen  for  the  Sadhu. 

Arrived  at  the  place  he  was  stripped  of  his  clothes, 
and  cast  into  the  dark  depths  of  this  ghastly  charnel- 
house  with  such  violence  that  his  right  arm  was  injured. 
Many  others  had  gone  down  this  same  well  before  him 
never  to  return,  and  he  alighted  on  a  mass  of  human 
bones  and  rotting  flesh.     Any  death   seemed  })referable 


SUNDAR     IX     TIBET— II  65 

to  this.  Wherever  he  laid  his  hands  they  met  putrid 
flesh,  while  the  odour  almost  poisoned  him.  In  the 
words  of  his  Saviour  he  cried,  '*  \>'hv  hast  Thou  forsaken 
me  ?  " 

Day  passed  into  night,  making  no  change  in  the  dark- 
ness of  this  aAvful  place  and  bringing  no  relief  by  sleep. 
Without  food  or  even  water  the  hours  grew  into  days, 
and  Sundar  felt  he  could  not  last  much  longer.  On  the 
third  night,  just  when  he  had  been  crying  to  God  in 
prayer  he  heard  a  grating  sound  overhead.  Someone 
was  opening  the  locked  lid  of  his  dismal  prison.  He 
heard  the  kev  turned  and  the  rattle  of  the  iron  eoveriufl: 
as  it  was  drawn  away.  Then  a  voice  reached  him  from 
the  top  of  the  well,  telling  him  to  take  hold  of  the  rope 
that  was  being  let  down  for  his  rescue.  As  the  rope 
reached  him  he  grasped  it  with  all  his  remaining  strength, 
and  was  strongly  but  gently  i)ulled  up  from  the  evil 
})laee  into  the  fresh  air  above. 

Arrived  at  the  top  of  the  well  the  lid  was  drawn  over 
again  and  locked.  When  he  looked  round  his  deliverer 
was  nowhere  to  be  seen,  l)ut  tlie  ])aiu  in  his  arm  was  gone, 
and  the  clean  air  tilled  him  with  new  life.  All  that  the 
Sadhu  felt  nblc  to  do  was  to  jiraise  God  for  his  wonderful 
deliverance,  and  when  morning  came  he  struggled  back 
to  the  town,  wlicre  he  rested  in  the  serai  until  he  was 
able  to  start  preaching  again.  His  return  to  the  city 
and  his  old  work  was  cause  for  a  great  commotion.  The 
news  was  quickly  taken  to  the  Lanui  that  the  man  they 
all  thought  dead  was  well  and  i)reaching  again. 

The  Sadhu  was  again  arrested  and  brought  to  the 
judgment  seat  of  the  Lama,  and  being  questioned  as  to 
what  had  ha})])ened  he  told  the  story  of  his  marvellous 
escape.  The  Lama  was  greatly  angered,  declaring  that 
someone  must  ha\(>  secured  the  k(y  and  gone  to  his 
rescue,  but  when  search  was  made  for  the  key  and  it 

5 


66 


SADHU     SUNDAR     SINGH 


was  found  on  his  own  girdle,  he  was  speechless  with 
amazement  and  fear.  He  then  ordered  Sundar  to  leave 
the  city  and  get  away  as  far  as  possible,  lest  his  powerful 
God  should  bring  some  untold  disaster  upon  himself  and 
his  people.  Thus  was  Sundar  delivered  from  a  fearful 
death,  and  praised  God  for  interposing  on  his  behalf. 


CHAPTER   XIX 
Further   Experience  in   Tibet 

"  Most  gladly  will  I  rather  glory  in  my  infirmities  that  the 
])Ower  of  Christ  may  rest  upon  me.  Therefore  I  take  pleasure  .  .  . 
in  persecutions,  in  distresses  for  Christ's  sake." — 2  Cor.  ix.  10. 

Dr.  Fosdick,  in  his  Manhood  of  the  Master,  says  :  - 

Jesus  made  the  right  attitude  toward  hostile  men  not  a 
negative  refraining  from  vengeance,  but  a  positive  saviour- 
hood,  that  prays  for  them,  blesses  them,  and  sacrificially  seeks 
their  good. 

This  is  the  attitude  of  Sadhu  Sundar  Singh  in  all  his 
work  and  life  of  suffering  amongst  the  peoples  of  Tibet 
and  other  hostile  states  to  whom  he  carries  the  Gospel 
of  Christ.  In  the  course  of  his  addresses  he  sometimes 
gives  illustrations  from  his  own  experiences.  In  speaking 
on  the  text,  "  He  that  loseth  his  Hfe  shall  save  it,"  he 
told  this  amazing  story.  He  was  one  day  making  a 
journey  across  some  mountains  in  Tibet  on  a  bitterly 
cold  day  when  snow  was  falling.  Both  he  and  a  Tibetan 
compani(Ui  who  was  travelling  with  him  were  almost 
frozen  to  death,  and  despaired  of  reaching  their  journey's 
end  alive.  They  came  to  a  deep  precipice  to  find  a  man 
lying  there  apparently  dead.  Sundar  suggested  they 
should  oarry  him  to  a  place  of  safety,  but  the  Tibetan 
declined,   saying  it   was  all  they  could   do  to  get  into 


08  SADHU     SUNDAR     SINGH 

safety  themselves,  and  he  passed  on  his  way.  With 
difrieulty  the  Sadhu  lifted  the  man  on  his  own  back, 
and  be«xan  io  stni<4ule  forward  with  his  heavy  load.  Soon 
tlie  exertion  bron^ht  warmth  to  him,  and  eommnnicatcd 
itself  to  the  helpless  body  over  his  shonlders.  He  had 
not  ^(Hje  very  far  when  he  overtook  his  Tibetan  com- 
])anion,  who  had  fallen  stone-dead  across  the  path.  Even- 
tnally  Snndar  arrived  at  the  villas^e,  by  which  time  the 
half-dead  man  had  recovered  conscionsness,  and  they 
both  thanked  God  for  lives  snatched  from  the  jaws  of 
death.  The  Sadhn  said  he  had  never  known  a  better 
])raetieal  exposition  of  the  words,  "  WhosocAcr  will  save 
liis  life  shall  lose  it,  and  whosoever  will  lose  his  life  for 
My  sake  shall  fmd  it."' 

On  another  occasion  the  Sadhn  had  been  climbing 
over  ron<»h  crags  when  he  came  to  a  cave  in  which  he 
saw  a  man  })raying'.  In  order  that  he  should  not  fall 
aslec})  the  man  had  tied  his  long  hair  to  the  roof  of  the 
ca\e,  and  with  closed  eyes  he  strove  hour  by  hour  to 
meditate  and  ]iray.  Sundar  entered  the  cave  and  asked 
the  man  why  he  was  thus  suffering.  Like  many  others 
this  man  had  sjient  most  o/f  his  life  in  worldly  pursuits, 
but  deep  down  in  his  mind  there  was  a  haunting  fear  of  a 
dreadful  unknown  future.  This  at  length  drove  him 
to  forsake  the  world,  and  he  had  come  to  this  remote  s])ot 
in  the  hope  of  finding  satisfaction  in  prayerful  medita- 
tion. He  explained  that  no  relief  had  come  to  his  spirit. 
The  Sadlm  opened  his  Testament  and  read  to  him  such 
words  as,  "  Come  u.nto  Me  .  .  .  and  I  will  giAc  you 
rest." 

He  proceeded  to  explain  the  true  way  through  Jesus 
Christ.  Spellbound  the  poor  fellow  listened  to  the 
wonderfid  words.,  and  at  last  he  jumped  up  crying  out, 
*'  Now  is  my  soul  at  rest  ;  make  me  His  discij)le,  lead  me 
to  Him.''     He  begged  hard  for  inunediate  baptism  at  the 


FURTHER     EXPERIEXCK     IX     TIBET  69 

Sadhu's  hand,  but  was  persuaded  to  aecompany  him  to 
the  nearest  mission  station,  where  he  was  left  in  the  care 
of  the  missionaries  for  further  instruction. 

Sundar  tells  of  another  place  where  his  message  had 
met  with  great  iiostility  and  the  people  were  converted 
into  friends  by  an  accident.  He  was  climbing  a  steep 
mountain  wlien  he  slipped  and  fell,  and  in  his  fall  a  large 
stone  was  displaced  and  rolled  over  the  precipitous  cliff 
on  to  a  place  beneath.  It  happened  that  just  where  the 
stone  fell  a  huge  cobra  was  lying,  and  was  immediately 
killed.  A  boy  who  was  herding  cattle  saw  what  had 
happened,  and  ran  to  tell  the  Sadhu,  explaining  that  this 
very  snake  had  been  the  cause  of  some  deaths  in  the 
village,  so  that  nobody  dared  to  pass  along  that  road. 
Then  he  ran  to  tell  the  \illagers,  who  were  so  impressed 
and  so  grateful  that  they  welcomed  the  Sadhu,  and  here 
he  had  the  blessed  privilege  of  making  known  the  love 
of  Christ  to  the  ignorant  people. 

The  Fket  that  Bi.ed. 

The  rough  mountain  track  had  torn  his  feet,  and 
Sundar  sat  down  to  bandage  the  wounds.  Another  man 
traversing  the  same  Yimd  and  seeing  what  had  happened 
stopped  to  ask  him  how  he  felt.  They  entered  into 
conversation,  and  the  stranger  learnt  how  that  Sundar 
for  his  Master's  sake  day  by  day  walked  many  weary 
miles  to  teach  ])eople  of  Him  whose  feet  had  bled  on 
Calvary.  The  two  men  held  sweet  converse  together, 
for  he  found  that  his  companion,  Tashi  by  name,  was 
an  earnest  seeker  after  sahation.  Rut  in  his  quest 
for  truth  he  was  perplexed  with  many  doubts,  and 
these  the  Sadhu  tried  to  solve.  Tashi  afterwards  said 
to  him,  "  Looking  at  your  bleeding  feet  something 
within  me  seemed  to  say  there  must  be  some  great  power 


\ 


70  SADHU     SUXDAR     SIXGII 

behind  this  hapj)y  Ufc  of  self-denial."  And  so  Tashi 
urged  Sundar  to  remain  with  him,  and  he  spent  more 
than  a  week  at  his  liouse  instructing  him  and  praying 
with  him. 

Tashi  then  sent  him  on  to  a  Lam.a  who  was  friendly 
with  him  and  kindly  disposed  to  Christianity.  When 
he  returned  he  found  Tashi  full  of  hope  and  hajjpi- 
ness,  for  he  had  found  Christ,  and  now  nothing  but 
baptism  would  satisfy  him.  All  doubts  were  gone,  and 
Tashi  and  his  family  begged  that  they  might  now  recei^'e 
baptism.  So  before  leaving,  Simdar  had  the  great  joy 
of  baptizing  Tashi  and  his  whole  family — nine  persons  in 
all.  Being  chief  secretary  to  the  Lama  of  the  district 
and  a  man  of  importance,  Tashi  has  not  been  called 
upon  to  suffer  for  his  faith,  but  he  is  under  strict  orders 
not  to  persuade  others  to  follow  his  example  or  in  any 
way  to  propagate  the  new  faith. 

Mau}'^  a  time  and  oft  Sadhu  Sundar  Singh  feels  the 
loneliness  of  soul  that  must  come  to  all  whose  entire 
lives  are  given  to  spiritual  things.  Extreme  exaltation 
of  sjiirit  accompanied  with  tremendous  expenditure  of 
nervous  power  must  be  followed  by  moments  of  reaction. 
Ordinary  missionaries  and  ministers  may  find  respite 
in  change  of  occupation,  but  not  so  the  Sadh\i.  His 
changes  are  of  place  not  of  work.  Day  by  day  his 
unwearied  search  for  souls  continues,  and  whether  in 
the  churches  and  conventions  of  Christians  or  amongst 
the  non-Christian  peoples  the  strain  never  relaxes.  A 
missionary  rightly  said  of  him  in  Travancore,  "  He  must 
live  very  near  to  God  to  stand  it,"  and  that  is  the  tnie 
secret  of  his  being  able  to  continue.  Never  impatient, 
never  too  wearied  to  meet  people  who  seek  him,  always 
gracious,  and  ready  night  or  day  for  the  tasks  that  fall 
to  him,  he  is  a  living  copy  of  his  Master.  Sharing  his 
Master's  spirit  he  also  shares  His  loneliness.     Speaking 


Fl'RTHER     EXFERIKXCK     IX     TIBET  71 

of  such  a  time  as  this  he  toils  of  a  day  when  he  was 
unusually  tired,  hungry,  and  footsore.  Utterly  dejected, 
lie  was  painfully  trudging  along  when  he  was  joined  by 
a  man  who  entered  into  conversation  with  him,  and  so 
led  him  out  of  himself  that  he  forgot  his  misery  in  the 
charming  companionship  of  his  new  friend.  They  went 
on  together  until  they  came  close  to  a  village,  when 
much  to  the  Sadhu'^s  perturbation  he  foimd  himself  once 
more  alone.  He  cannot  explain  it,  but  his  own  words 
are,  "  I  now  know  that  it  was  an  angel  of  the  Lord  sent 
to  streng^then  and  uphold  me  in  my  hour  of  weakness." 


CHAPTER   XX 

Martyrs  of  the  Faith 

«'  The  blood  of  the  martyrs  is  the  seed  of  the  Church." 

"  He  laid  down  His  life  for  us  ;    and  we  ought  to  lay  down  our 
lives  for  the  brethren  "  (1  John  iii.  10). 


Sadhu  Sundar  Singh  is  in  the  great  succession  of 
noble  men  who  ha^c  "  chmbed  the  steep  ascent  of 
heaven,"  and  during  his  sojourns  in  Tibet  he  has  come 
across  well-authenticated  cases  of  the  mart^/rdom  of 
godly  men  who  have  preceded  him  in  carrying  the  Gospel 
message  to  that  dark  land.  Strangely  enough  the  first 
of  these  martyrs  came  from  the  State  of  Patiala  where 
he  himself  was  born.  Kartar  Singh  was  a  Sikh  and  the 
son  of  a  rich  zamindar.  All  the  hopes  of  the  family 
were  centred  in  this  boy,  for  there  were  no  other  sons  to 
carry  on  the  name.  Like  Simdar  he  was  brought  up  in 
the  midst  of  luxury,  and  preparations  for  his  future 
were  made  by  giving  him  the  best  education  possible. 
Nothing  was  forgotten  that  could  make  his  training 
complete  for  the  fulfilment  of  his  father's  ambitions  for 
the  boy.  But  in  spite  of  the  utter  negle(?t  of  religion  in 
his  education,  there  grew  up  in  his  mind  a  desire  after 
spiritual  things  which  his  secular  training  could  not 
satisfy.  He  heard  of  Christianity,  and  little  by  little  got 
to  know  and  understand  its  claims,  until  a  deep  convic- 


MARTYRS     OK     THP:     FAITH  73 

tion  of  its  truth  laid  hold  of  him.  The  more  he  studied  it 
the  more  he  felt  it  supplied  the  eraving  of  his  own  soul, 
until  at  last  he  saw  but  one  path  before  him — and  that 
the  strait  and  narrow  one. 

Kartar  now  took  the  irrevoeable  step  of  deelarinp: 
himself  a  Christian,  a  faet  that  filled  the  hearts  of  his 
people  with  dismay.  Many  attempts  of  various  kinds 
were  made  to  win  him  from  persisting  in  this  determina- 
tion, but  finding  him  not  to  be  tempted  by  ordinary  means 
his  father  sent  to  him  the  beautiful  girl  who  was  his 
ehosen  wife.  This  poor  girl  eame  before  him  in  all  her 
tender  promise  of  life,  and  with  tears  besought  him  to 
desist  from  taking  a  step  that  would  mean  sueh  terrible 
loss  to  her.  Looking  upon  her  misery  his  heart  was 
touched,  yet  even  in  this  last  temptation  God  gave  him 
strength,  and  with  much  tenderness  he  put  the  sweet 
Hindu  child  from  him,  declaring  that  his  heart  already 
belonged  to  Christ  his  Saviour.  The  broken-hearted  girl 
returned  to  her  future  father-in-law's  house  to  tell  how 
useless  had  been  her  j^rotests,  since  Kartar  had  said  all 
his  love  had  been  given  to  Another. 

Not  long  afterwards  Kartar  was  driven  forth  home- 
less from  his  father's  house.  To  enable  him  to  buy  food 
and  clothes  he  took  up  the  work  of  a  labourer,  and, 
undiscouraged  by  his  l^rd  lot,  bent  his  back  to  tasks 
such  as  his  own  father's  servants  would  have  despised. 
Ver\'  soon,  however,  Kartar  began  his  mission  to  the 
people  of  his  own  country,  and  went  preaching  among 
the  towns  and  villages  of  Patiala,  where  he  trod  the 
thorny  and  difficult  path  that  was  to  prepare  him  for 
the  harder  future  awaiting  him.  After  preaching  in 
many  places  in  the  Punjab,  Kartar  turned  his  steps 
towards  the  moimtains  that  lay  between  him  and  darkest 
Tibet,  and  after  some  weeks  of  weary  journeying  over 
rough  country  he  found  himself  in  the  land  of  his  choice. 


74  SAi:)Hi:     SUXDAR     SINGH 

The  Buddhism  of  Tibet  has  no  place  for  Christ,  whose 
very  name  arouses  the  deepest  feelings  of  hatred  and 
opposition.  No  record  remains  that  Kartar  met  with 
much  personal  kindness  or  that  his  message  was  accepted, 
but  no  thought  of  going  back  seems  to  have  occurred 
to  his  mind.  These  jieople  were  without  Christ  and 
had  need  of  Him,  and  as  Christ  had  given  His  life,  so 
Kartar  was  prepared  to  sacrifice  his  life  also,  that  at 
least  his  witness  should  be  borne  and  his  love  testified  to 
before  his  persecutors.  Although  hearts  were  touched  by 
the  sight  of  his  youth  and  the  fer\^our  of  his  message, 
there  was  little  courage  to  take  his  part,  and  it  was  only 
after  his  death  that  the  fruit  of  his  labours  and  testimony 
came  to  light. 

Kartar  saw,  as  our  Saviour  did  before  him,  that  the 
thorny  path  could  only  end  in  one  way.  In  spite  of 
numerous  efforts  to  drive  him  out  of  the  country,  he 
continued  his  preaching  in  many  places  for  some  time, 
but  eventually  he  was  haled  before  the  Lama  of  Tsing- 
ham  and  charged  with  unlawfull}^  entering  the  country 
with  intent  to  teach  a  foreign  religion.  The  end  he  had 
looked  forward  to  had  come,  and  with  imdaunted  courage 
he  faced  the  inevitable,  trusting  to  God  to  give  him  the 
necessary  grace  to  witness  to  his  faith  to  the  end.  As 
S\mdar  afterwards  heard,  Kartar  heard  his  sentence 
without  a  quiver,  and  with  firm  step  turned  away  from 
the  judgment  seat  to  walk  to  the  place  of  execution. 
On  the  way  he  delivered  his  last  message,  urging  on 
the  crowd  the  necessity  of  seeking  salvation  through 
Jesus  Christ,  and  one  at  least  of  those  who  heard  his 
words  remembered  them,  and  through  them  found  the 
Saviour. 

Arrived  at  the  place  of  execution  Kartar  was  stripped 
of  all  his  clothes  and  was  sewn  up  in  a  wet  yak  skin, 
which  was  then  put  out  in  the  sun.     A  cruel  mocking 


MARTYRS     OF    THK     FAITH  75 

crowd  stood  about  to  witness  his  tortures,  and  as  the  skin 
shrank  and  tightened  roiind  him  they  laughed  to  hear 
tlic  bones  cracking  in  the  slow  process  of  death.  By  his 
side  on  the  ground  lay  the  New  Testament  that  had 
been  his  one  and  only  comfort  through  the  hard  days 
that  had  followed  his  confession  of  his  Master.  Unheeded 
it  lay  until  on  the  third  day,  when  Kartar  knew  the  end 
was  drawing  on,  he  asked  that  his  right  hand  might  be 
set  free  for  a  moment.  This  was  done,  probably  more 
from  curiosity  than  mercy.  Collecting  all  his  strength 
Kartar  wrote  his  last  message  on  the  flyleaf  of  his  Testa- 
ment.    In  Persian  character  : — 

Jan  Khwaham  az  Khuda  na  yake  baiki  sad  hazar, 
Ta  sad  hazar  bar  bamiram  brae  yar. 

Khasrawa  dar  ishq  aukarntarzi  Hindu  zan  mubash, 
Ki  in  brae  murda  sazad  zinda  jan  i  Khwesh  ra. 

In  Urdu  character  : — 

Jan  de  di  di  hui  usi  ki  thi  ;   haqq  to  yih  hai,  ki  haqq  ada 
na  hua. 

In  English  : — 

Is  this  a  death-bed  where  a  Christian  lies  ? 
Yes,  but  not  his  ;    'tis  death  itself  there  dies. 

Translation  : — 

From  God  I  life  besought,  not  once  but  a  hundred  thousand 

times, 
That  to  that  Friend  again  as  oft  I  might  return  it. 

That  love  for  Him,  Khasrawa,  shall  not  be  less  than  hers — 

The  faithful  Hindu  wife. 
Who  on  the  burning  pyre  draws  to  her  heart  the  loved  one. 

And  lays  her  life  beside  him. 

The  life  He  gave  to  me  was  what  I  gave  to  Him  ; 
True  is  it  that  though  I  did  all,  yet  all  I  could  not  do. 

No   cry   of  anguish   escaped   the   brave   lips,    but   as 


70  SADIIi:     SUXDAH     SINCill 

evening  came  on  Kartar  gave  thanks  aloud  to  God  for 
comfort  in  death,  and  quietly  passed  away  with  the 
words,  "  Lord  Jesus,  receive  my  spirit.*' 

Sadhu  Sundar  Singh  found  that  Kartar's  father  was 
still  alive,  and  upon  his  return  to  the  })lains  he  sought 
the  old  man  out.  Telling  him  the  story  of  the  death  of 
his  heroic  son  and  speaking  of  the  great  love  of  Christ 
that  had  borne  him  through,  the  old  man  listened  with 
a  softened  heart,  and  Sundar  had  the  joy  of  hearing 
him  say,  "  I,  too,  believe  in  Him.*' 

Amongst  the  crowd  who  watched  the  ))assing  of 
Kartar  Singh  was  the  chief  secretary  of  the  Lama  of 
Tsingham.  He  noticed  the  little  Testament  in  which 
this  hero  of  the  cross  had  written  his  last  message,  and 
taking  it  up  he  carried  it  home  and  commenced  to  study 
it.  With  the  memory  still  fresh  in  his  mind  of  the  words 
and  conduct  of  a  brave  man,  his  heart  was  oj)en  to 
receive  the  message  the  Book  had  for  him,  and  in  reading 
it  there  came  new  light  and  joy  to  him.  For  some  time 
he  pondered  the  wonderful  things  he  now  believed,  but, 
as  the  realization  of  them  more  and  more  filled  his  soul, 
he  could  no  longer  keep  his  secret,  and  one  day  revealed 
to  his  master,  the  Lama,  that  he  had  given  his  heart  to 
Jesus.  The  Lama  then  declared  that  he  also  must  die. 
Pitilessly  he  was  judged  and  sentenced  to  the  same 
death  as  Kartar.  Lying  in  the  wet  yak  skin  in  the  sun 
was  not  cruel  enough  to  teach  the  onlookers  that  this 
sort  of  thing  if  persisted  in  would  add  to  the  bitter 
punishment,  so  red-hot  skewers  were  thrust  mto  his 
body  to  increase  his  agonies.  As  if  his  tormentors  were 
weary  of  waiting  for  the  inevitable  end,  he  was  then 
taken  out  of  the  skin,  a  rope  was  tied  round  his  mutilated 
body,  and  he  was  dragged  through  the  streets  of  the 
town,  splinters  of  wood  also  being  driven  under  the 
nails  of  his  feet  and  hands.     His  bodv  was  then  thrown 


MARTYRS     OF     THE     FAITH  77 

on  to  a  dust  heap  outside  the  town  and  he  was  left  for 
dead. 

Having  satisfied  their  hist  for  revenge  his  persecutors 
departed,  and  for  long  he  lay  unconscious.  Very 
gradually  the  poor  fellow  eamc  back  to  life,  and  little 
by  little  strength  returned  until  he  was  able  to  crawl 
away.  When  he  had  recovered  from  his  many  wounds, 
great  fear  came  upon  the  people  to  see  him  whom  they 
had  left  for  dead  alive  and  well  again,  and  to  this  day- 
no  one  dares  to  interfere  with  him.  Superstitious  dread 
of  a  supernatural  power  they  believe  him  to  possess, 
prevents  attempts  to  take  his  life,  so  that  when  Sadhii 
Sundar  Singh  heard  from  his  lips  the  story  of  Kartar, 
he  also  heard  how  wondrously  God  enables  this  bra\-c 
man  to  continue  preaching  Christ  boldly  among  the 
people  of  Tibet. 

These  and  other  histories  like  them  Sadhu  Sundar 
Singh  has  himself  gathered  during  his  missionary  journeys 
thro\igh  darkest  Tibet  and  other  regions  where  the  light 
of  the  Gospel  has  scarcely  pierced.  To  the  people  of 
these  benighted  coimtries  his  gentle  heart  turns  with 
infinite  longing  and  pity,  and  his  burning  zeal  for  Christ 
and  desire  to  make  Him  known,  convince  him  that  there 
his  appointed  task  lies.  He  says,  ''  This'  is  the  field 
which  God  has  given  me  to  work  in.  I  have  heard  His 
call  to  serve  Him  in  these  hostile  provinces.  T  am  not 
afraid  of  the  risks.  I  ha\'e  to  win  the  crown  of  mart^  r- 
dom  by  laying  down  my  life  in  these  parts  for  Him." 
That  Sundar  Singh  may  be  used  of  God  to  bring 
Gospel  light  to  the  people  of  these  dark  places  is  the 
prayer  of  those  who  know,  love,  and  revere  him.  But 
none  can  pray  without  earnestly  pleading  with  God  to 
spare  his  wonderful  life,  that  rather  by  "  labours  more 
abundant  "  than  by  the  supreme  sacrifice  he  may  serve 
his  Master  and  his  (^^eneration. 


^g^^^: 


CHAPTER   XXI 

Sundar's  Mysticism 

The  study  of  a  character  like  that  of  Sadhii  Siindar 
Singh  cannot  fail  to  be  both  interesting  and  instructive, 
for  in  a  matcriahstic  age  he  is  a  man  \uitouched  by 
materiaUsni.  Mr.  K.  J.  Saunders,  in  the  Adventures  of 
the  Christian  Soul,  says  : — 

Mysticism  is  the  passionate  search  of  the  soul  in  love  with 
God,  and  the  claim  that  this  search  has  been  rewarded  .  .  . 
The  mystic  consciousness  is  marked  by  simple,  clear,  and 
insistent  ideas.  .  .  .  Possessing  God,  the  mystic  desires 
nothing  more.  .  .  .  The  passionate  love  aroused  in  the  lieart 
by  Christ  .  .  .  explains  his  clear  insight  into  spiritual  things, 
and  the  tenacity  of  his  pursuit  of  lofty  ideals. 

Thus  is  Sundar  Singh  a  true  Christian  mystic,  and 
so  closely  has  he  studied  the  life  of  Christ  as  it  is  written 
in  the  New  Testament,  and  so  constantly  has  he  imitated 
His  example,  that  naturally  he  lives  in  an  atmosphere 
only  now  and  then  enjoyed  by  the  ordinary  Christian. 

His  wandering  life  of  poverty  in  a  country  like  India 
brings  endless  opportunities  of  recognizing  his  Father's 
hand  in  all  things,  so  that  often  where  others  would  see 
only  the  common  mercies  of  daily  life  the  Sadhu  praises 
God  for  special  help  in  special  need.  He  is  familiar 
with  the  deepest  agony  of  soul  and  with  the  most  intense 
joy.     Nights  of  prayer  alternate  with  long  days  of  toil 


I 


SUNDAR'S     MYSTICISM  79 

for  his  Lord.  Close  and  praj^erfiil  study  of  the  New 
Testament  is  combined  with  equally  close  communion 
with  Christ.  A  yearning  desire  to  save  lost  souls  that 
gives  him.  no  respite  from  his  labours  is  balanced  by  a 
deep  devotion  and  love  for  his  Saviour  that  fills  his  heart 
with  peace,  and  shines  in  his  face.  The  things  of  the 
spiritual  life  are  more  real  to  him  than  those  of  the 
temporal.  So  near  does  he  live  to  the  great  world  of 
spirits  that  to  him  there  is  nothing  strange  in  the  ministry 
of  angels.  He  looks  upon  it  as  God's  provision  for  a 
great  need,  and  when  in  his  own  experience  some  unusual 
event  has  come  to  pass  he  simply  believes  that  God 
cares  enough  for  the  individual  soul  to  interpose  on  its 
behalf.  The  mysteries  of  life  and  deatli  and  the  great 
beyond  bring  no  distress  or  doubt  to  his  mind,  and  he 
does  not  puzzle  the  minds  of  his  hearers  with  them. 
But  deep  down  in  his  contemplative  mind  they  hold 
their  place,  and  are  a  source  of  infinite  satisfaction  to 
him. 

The  marvellous  records  of  some  of  the  Sadhu's  experi- 
ences have  preceded  him  in  most  places  he  has  visited. 
Matter-of-fact  people  have  been  prejudiced  by  them, 
and  emotional  ones  have  looked  for  revelations,  and  even 
for  miracles  performed  by  him.  Yet  one  and  all,  after 
seeing  and  hearing  him,  have  been  struck  by  his  sane 
teaching  and  well-balanced  mind. 

His  own  version  of  the  deliverances  he  has  had  falls 
no  naturally  from  his  lips  that  it  sounds  like  the  straight- 
forward simple  statement  of  a  second  ''  Acts  of  the 
Apostles."  In  relating  these  experiences,  Sadhu  Sundar 
Singh  says  that  God  has  stretched  forth  His  hand  to 
save  when  nothing  else  could  avail.  This  is  the  simplest 
explanation  in  view  of  the  fact  that  for  so  long,  and 
under  such  signal  difficulties  and  dangers,  the  Sadhu  has 
worked  in  the  closed  lands  of  Tibet  and  Nepal. 


80  SADHU     SUNDAR     SINGH 

Incidents  snch  as  the  following  show  the  spirit  in 
which  the  Sadhu  takes  his  deliverances.  On  one  occasion 
he  was  preaching  in  a  village  of  Nepal  called  Khantzi, 
where  considerable  opposition  was  being  shown.  The 
villagers  seized  him,  and  rolling  him  up  in  a  blanket, 
hustled  him  out  of  the  place,  but  a  stranger  passing  by 
took  his  part  and  released  him.  The  day  following  he 
was  again  preaching  in  the  same  place,  and  this  so 
angered  the  villagers  that  they  took  him  and  bound  him 
by  his  hands  and  feet  to  a  tree  and  left  him  there.  Slowly 
the  day  wore  on,  and  being  faint  for  want  of  food  he 
looked  longingly  at  the  fruit  on  the  tree  just  out  of  reach. 
In  that  strained  position  he  at  last  fell  asleep  from 
exhaustion.  In  the  morning  he  awoke  to  find  to  his 
amazement  that  his  bonds  were  loosed.  He  was  Ivin*'  at 
the  foot  of  the  tree  and  by  his  side  lay  some  fruit.  He 
then  praised  God  for  the  sufferino-  he  had  endured  for 
Christ's  sake,  ate  the  fruit  with  thankfulness  of  heart, 
and  went  on  his  way  filled  with  fresh  courage  to  preach 
the  word  to  those  who  know  it  not. 

On  another  occasion  when  he  was  in  a  place  called 
Tcri  some  men  told  him  that  in  a  certain  \-iilage  the 
people  were  anxious  to  hear  the  Gos})el,  and  they  gave  him 
instructions  as  to  the  way  he  should  take.  Following  the 
directions  he  wandered  on  for  a  long  time  through  marshy 
jungly  country,  but  without  seeing  any  signs  of  a  \'illage. 
The  undergrowth  grew  thicker,  and  presently  he 
discovered  he  was  lost  in  a  jungle  from  which  there 
seemed  no  escape.  Arrived  at  a  stream  he  thought  that 
by  crossing  it  he  might  find  a  way  out,  but  on  stepping 
into  the  water  he  found  the  current  so  strong  tfiat  any 
attempt  to  cross  it  would  endanger  his  life.  Evening 
was  closing  in,  and  in  a  dejected  frame  of  miiid  he  sat 
down  by  the  stream  to  consider  what  next  to  do.  Listen- 
ing to  the  weird  sounds  of  the  jungle,  and  watching  the 


SIXDARS     MYSTICISM  81 

increasing  darkness,  his  mind  became  full  ol*  apprehension, 
for  soon  the  wild  animals  would  steal  from  their  haunts 
in  search  of  food,  and  his  hfe  would  be  safe  no  longer. 

He  prayed  earnestly  to  God,  and  then  looking  across 
the  river  in  the  gathering  gloom  he  caught  sight  of  a 
man,  and  the  words  reached  his  ears,  "  I  am  coming  to 
your  help.''  Then  he  saw  the  man  plunge  into  the 
stream  and  swim  across,  and  taking  the  Sadhu  on  his 
back  he  swam  to  the  other  shore  with  him.  Arrived  on 
the  bank  he  saw  a  fire  at  which  he  began  to  dry  his  wet 
clothes,  but  even  as  he  did  so  the  stranger  disappeared, 
and  the  Sadhu  was  left  to  meditate  on  the  wonderful 
ways  of  Providence  in  thus  sending  help  to  him  in  this 
unaccountable  way. 

Yet  one  more  instance  is  worth  relating.  The  Sadhu 
had  been  preaching  at  a  place  called  Kamyan  where 
much  bitter  enmity  had  been  exhibited.  The  whole  day 
had  passed  without  his  being  able  to  get  any  food,  so, 
hungry  and  weary,  he  found  himself  in  a  desert  place 
without  shelter  for  the  fast-closing-in  night.  Yery  weak 
and  miserable  he  lay  down  under  a  tree  and  soon  fell 
asleep.  About  midnight  it  appeared  to  him  that  some 
one  touched  him  and  bade  him  arise  and  eat,  and  upon 
looking  up  he  beheld  two  men  with  food  and  water 
standing  over  him.  Imagining  that  some  villagers  had 
had  pity  on  his  condition  he  gratefully  partook  of  the 
refreshments  thus  offered  to  him.  When  his  hunger 
was  satisfied  he  turned  to  converse  with  the  men  who 
had  brought  the  food,  but  there  was  not  a  soul  to  be 
seen  anywhere.  How  they  had  disap])e<U'ed  he  could 
not  tell,  but  again  he  blessed  Gud  for  His  kindly  provi- 
sion for  him  in  time  of  need. 

Doubtless  such  instances  could  be  multiplied,  for  in 
a  life  like  that  of  Sadhu  Sundar  Singh  there  are  frequent 
manifestations    of    the    good    hand    of    God.     Without 

G 


82 


SADHU    SUNDAR     SINGH 


attempting  any  explanation  the  Sadhu  accepts  his 
deliverances  witli  a  thankful  mind  as  coming  from  God. 
He  simply  says,  "  I  know  the  Lord  has  stretched  forth 
His  own  hand  to  save  me  "  ;  and  whether  such  deliverances 
are  wrought  by  human  agency  or  otherwise,  he  is  surely 
right  in  ascribing  them  to  the  care  of  a  loving  heavenly 
Father. 


CHAPTER   XXII 

The  Sadhu's  Love  for  the  Cross 

"  I  am  crucified  with  Christ  :  .  .  .  who  loved  me,  and  gave 
Himself  for  me  "  (Gal.  ii.  20). 

''  But  God  forliid  that  I  should  glory,  save  in  the  cross  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by  whom  the  world  is  crucified  unto  me,  and  I 
unto  the  world"  (Gal.  vi.  14). 

The  great  theme  of  all  Sadhu  Simdar  Singh's  preaching 
is  Christ.  The  cross  of  Christ  is  the  central  figure  to 
which  he  draAvs  all  men,  for  there  he  himself  found 
peace,  and  so  can  speak  with  authority  of  the  power  of 
that  cross  to  save  others.  The  most  frequent  words  on 
his  lips  are  words  taken  from  his  own  ex[)erience,  "  I 
can  say  with  confidence  that  the  cross  will  bear  those 
who  bear  the  cross,  until  that  cross  shall  lift  them  into 
the  presence  of  the  Saviour." 

As  a  Muhammadan  said  lately  to  a  missionary  who 
had  been  relating  to  him  the  story  cf  the  cross,  "  If  you 
j}resent  that  story  to  India  as  you  haAc  to  me,  India  will 
accept  it."  Thus  has  the  Sadhu  found  the  heart  of  India, 
and  he  presents  to  it  the  one  and  only  satisiaction  for  its 
soul  hunger — Jesus  and  His  Cross.  He  presents  it  in  the 
New  Testament  way,  and  his  life  of  utter  self-abnegation 
and  sacrifice  enforces  his  teaching,  while  his  own  intense 
personal  joy  in  the  Saviour  commends  it  as  nothing  el^e 
co»dd.     The  cross  implies  suffering,   and  to    be  like  his 


81.  SADIir     SINDAR     SINCII 

Lord   is  the  one  dcsiiv  ol'  the  Sadliu.     He  wrote  in  an 

autograpli   book  :    - 

So   nn;it    tJic  joy  1   luivo  in   Li<j;!jt 
That  cwTV  sorrow  brings  (loli^iht. 

A  niissionarv  in  Japan  asked  the  Sadhu  whether  lie 
still  wandered  about  India  Inniury  ;ind  homeless  as  he 
had  done  in  the  be«iinnin<i-  oi  his  Christian  ministry,  and 
was  struek  })y  tin-  reply  :  *'  No,  now  in  India  they  know 
me,  and  if  I  <j:o  to  a  town  they  have  thousands  of  p('oj)le 
to  hear  me  in  a  bi^  hall.  This  is  not  the  way  ol'  the 
Cross  :    for  that  1  nuist  yo  to  Tibet." 

Whilst  surrounded  by  almost  adorino  erowds  in 
Trivandram,  his  one  j^rief  was  that  things  were  s<> 
comfortable  that  la.-  was  not  sufferin«>  lor  his  Master 
enouf»h.  Perhaps  later,  when  he  was  rushed  I'rom  ])laee 
to  place  for  eountKss  meetinos  in  the  heat  of  our  tro))ieal 
summer — a  heat  he  iiad  not  experienet-d  belore,  always 
having  from  a  ehild  spent  the  hot  season  on  the  hills  - 
and  havino;  to  tra\(.l  by  boat,  bullock  cart,  or  train 
at  night,  and  to  start  his  work  again  upon  arrival,  he 
may  have  felt  differently.  In  speaking  of  it  to  his 
friends  he  simply  said,  "  It  is  the  will  of  God." 

When  he  was  j>lunge<l  into  the  misery  of  an  easti'rn 
prison  at  Horn  to  find  himself  herded  with  all  sorts  of 
evil  characters,  he  wrote  in  the  lly-leaf  of  his  New  Testa- 
ment these  words  : — 

Xepal.  June  7,  191I-.  "  Christ's  presence  has  turned  my 
j)rison  into  a  blessed  heaven  :  wiiat  then  will  it  <lo  in  heaven 
iiereaftcr  ?  *' 

So,  like  his  ])redeeess((rs  Paul  and  .Silas  of  old.  his 
prison  was  his  meeting-place  with  Christ,  and  to  be  in 
hell  with  Christ  wcjuld  be  better  to  him  than  to  be  in 
heaven   without  Ilim. 

So  sure  is  the  Sadhu  of  Christ's  continual  presence 
with  him  that  he  expressed  no  surprise  when  the  lollowing 


THE    SADHU'S    LOVE    FOR    THE    CROSS        85 

event  took  place  in  his  life.  When  travelling  through 
a  wild  part  of  Tibet  and  iniable  to  enter  the  village 
because  of  the  hostility  of  the  people  the  Sadhu  took 
refuge  in  a  cave.  He  had  not  been  there  long  when  he 
saw  a  number  of  the  village  people  approaching  him 
with  sticks  and  stones,  and  feeling  that  his  end  was  near 
he  commended  his  soul  to  God  in  prayer.  Within  a  few 
yards  of  him  the  men  suddenly  stood  still,  and  falling 
back  some  paces  they  began  to  whisper  together.  Then 
again  they  came  forward  and  said  to  the  Sadhu,  "  Who 
is  the  other  man  with  you  in  bright  garments,  and  many 
more  who  surroimd  you  ?  "  He  replied  that  there  was 
no  man  with  him,  but  with  awe  the  men  insisted  that 
they  saw  a  host  of  bright  ones  standing  all  round  the 
cave.  Then  the  men  besought  the  Sadhu  to  accompany 
them  to  their  homes,  and  going  with  them  he  spoke  of 
Christ  so  that  they  fenred  and  believed  his  words.  He 
then  knew  that  God  had  scut  His;  angels  to  protect  him  in 
danger  and* to  open  the  way  for  him  to  j^reaeh  to  these  men. 
A  few  years  ago  the  Sadhu  wrote  : — 

I  thank  God  that  He  has  chosen  unworthy  me  in  the  days 
of  my  youth  ttiat  I  may  spend  the  days  of  my  strength  in 
His  service.  Even  before  ba})tism  my  prayer  to  God  was 
that  He  should  show  nie  His  ways,  and  so  He,  who  is  the 
Way,  the  Truth,  and  the  Life,  did  show  Himself  to  me,  and 
called  me  to  serve  Him  as  a  sadhu  and  to  preach  His  holy 
Name.  Now  although  I  have  suffered  hunger,  thirst,  cold, 
heat,  imprisonment,  maledictions,  infirmities,  persecutions, 
and  innumerable  evils,  yet  I  thank  and  bless  His  holy  Name 
that  through  His  grace  my  heart  is  e\er  full  of  joy.  From 
my  ten  years'  experience  I  can  unhesitatingly  say  that  the 
Ooss  bears  those  who  bear  the  Cross. 

To-da}''  the  Sadhu  bears  the  same  testimony  to  the 
writer,  adding  that  he  hopes  God  will  spare  him  yet  for 
some  years,  that  the  fulness  of  manhood's  strength  may 
all  be  given  to  Him  in  the  precious  work  of  preaching, 
or  in  suffering,  wheresoever  his  Lord  may  send  him. 


CHAPTER    XXIII 
Sadiiu  Suxdau  Singh  and  the  Sanyasi  Mission 

It  was  surely  a  wonderful  provision  of  God  when  He 
called  Sundar  Singh  to  be  a  Christian  Sadlui.  Amongst 
Christians  his  saffron  robe  gives  him  a  position  the  best 
possible  for  the  aceeptanee  of  the  messnge  he  brings. 
Granted  the  same  man  and  message  he  would  assuredly 
under  any  circumstances  have  won  the  heart  of  the 
Indian  Christian  Church,  but  being  a  true  Sadhu  in 
appearance  as  well  as  in  spirit  has  added  enormously 
to  his  influence  and  power. 

Perhaps  nothing  has  proved  more  wonderful  to 
Christians  everywhere  than  the  humility  and  simplicity 
of  the  Sadhu's  spirit-,  and  no  one  is  more  filled  with 
wonder  than  himself  when  crowds  linger  about  him 
just  to  look  at  his  face. 

But  the  most  remarkable  results  of  his  being  a  Sadhu 
arc  apparent  in  his  life  and  work  amongst  non-Christians. 
This  he  looks  upon  as  his  sworn  task.  Naturally  his 
sadhu's  robes  gain  him  an  entrance  to  places  and  to 
j)eople  as  nothing  else  could.  Often  in  the  course  of  his 
pilgrimages  from  place  to  place  he  comes  across  unusual 
types  of  Indian  sadhus,  and  it  has  been  his  privilege 
to  discover  to  the  world  a  marvellous  movement  towards 


THE     SANYASI     MISSION  87 

Christianity  amongst  the'  most  deeply  religious  men  of 
India. 

The  Rev.  J.  J.  Johnson,  of  the  Church  Missionary 
Society,  who  died  in  1918,  was  one  of  the  finest  Sanskrit 
scholars  in  India.  During  the  latter  part  of  his  life, 
he  was  set  apart  by  his  Society  for  a  work  he  was 
magnificently  fitted  for  amongst  the  pandits  and  learned 
classes  throughout  India.  The  story  of  this  work  is  a 
romance  waiting  to  be  written.  On  his  last  visit  to  the 
south  he  told  us  that  he  believed  there  were  great 
numbers  of  the  highest  castes  of  India  waiting  to  become 
Christians,  a  statement  made  after  years  of  intimate 
relationship  with  the  leaders  of  religious  thought  in 
India. 

But  it  was  reserved  for  Sundur  Singh  to  lift  the  veil 
and  prove  the  truth  of  this  astonishing  statement,  and 
this  is  how  it  came  about.  Towards  the  end  of  1912 
the  Sadhu  went  to  Sarnath  (the  scene  of  Buddha's  first 
preaching),  and  there  he  met  with  some  men  dressed 
as  sanyasis.  Entering  into  conversation  v>ith  them  he 
found  they  were  Christians,  and  belonged  to  a  secret 
organization  numbering  some  24,000  members,  who  are 
scattered  all  over  India.  These  are  divided  into  two 
classes  called  Shishyas  and  Swamis,  or  Companions  and 
Heralds.  The  Companions  are  ordinary  members  who 
fulfil  all  the  usual  work  of  life.  The  Heralds  number 
about  700,  are  dressed  like  Sanyasis,  and  are  the  unpaid 
preachers  who  conduct  services  among  the  Companions 
wherever  they  meet  them. 

These  secret  believers  observe  baptism  and  the  Lord's 
Supper.  Bands  of  them  are  found  all  over  India,  and 
in  most  distant  and  \mexpected  places.  It  was  due  to 
the  kindness  and  care  of  some  of  these  good  peoj^le  that 
Sundar  was  on  one  occasion  nursed  back  to  life  after 
imprisonment  and  persecution  in  Nepal.     He  says  that 


88  SADHU     SUNDAR     SINGH 

these  believers  are  wont  to  assemble  at  fixed  and  ver>^ 
early  hours  in  *'  Houses  of  Prayer  "  outwardly  resembling 
Hindu  temples,  but  which  contain  no  images  or 
pictures.  The  Bible  is  read  and  expounded  and  Christian 
papers  are  circulated.  Eastern  methods  are  sedulously 
followed,  such  as  complete  prostration  of  the  body  in 
prayer.  The  belief  is  held  that  if  men  prayed  in  perfect 
faith  they  would  have  constant  visions  of  the  Master 
Himself. 

Belonging  to  this  secret  Christian  Brotherhood  are 
various  sadhus  and  hermits  of  recognized  holiness,  and 
a  large  number  of  the  members  arc  educated  and  wealthy 
men  of  the  upper  classes,  wlio  freely  subscribe  towards 
the  maintenance  of  the  organization.  The  Sadhu  has 
often  been  present  at  their  services,  and  has  several 
times  been  mistaken  for  one  of  themselves.  He  has 
very  earnestly  begged  that  they  woidd  openly  confess 
Christ,  and  they  promise  that  when  the  right  moment 
comes  they  will  do  so. 

On  one  occasion  while  the  Sadhu  was  preaching  on 
the  banks  of  the  Ganges  his  audience  told  him  that 
while  they  liked  him  as  a  sanyasi  they  did  not  like  his 
message,  and  they  requested  him  to  visit  a  great  Hindu 
preacher  who  lived  close  by  and  who  was  attracting 
large  crowds.  For  three  days  he  could  not  get  near 
him  for  the  crowd.  One  day,  however,  he  was  able 
to  meet  him  alone,  and  then  the  Sadhu  learnt  that  he 
was  a  Christian.  The  Hindu  preacher  embraced  him 
and  said,  ''  Brother,  we  are  doing  the  same  work." 
Surprised  at  this,  Sundar  said  he  had  ne^'er  heard  him 
preaching  Christ.  To  which  he  replied,  "  Is  there  any 
foolish  farmer  who  will  sow  without  preparing  the 
Iground  ?  I  first  try  to  awaken  in  my  hearers  a  sense  of 
\values,  and  when  a  hunger  and  thirst  for  righteousness 
1^  created  I  place  Christ  before  them.     On  the  banks  of 


THE     SAXVASI     MISSION  89 

this  ancient  river  I  have  baptized  twelve  edueated  Hindus  / 
durin<^-  the  ])ast  year.''  He  tlien  showed  him  the  Bible! 
he  always  eanied  about  with  him. 

In  one  of  the  holy  eities  of  India  some  of  these  secret 
behevers  took  tlie  Sadhu  to  an  old  temple,  where  they 
showed  him  an  ancient  Sanskrit  manuscript  containinjif 
an  account  of  Pandit  ^'iswa  Mitra,  one  of  the  three 
Wise  Men  who,  after  seein<^  the  Divine  Chikl,  came 
back  to  Lidia  but  returned  at  a  later  date  to  Palestine 
when  Christ  had  entered  on  His  public  ministry.  They 
claim  that  he  was  the  one  of  whom  the  disciples  com- 
plained to  the  Master  that  they  found  him  performing 
miracles  and  forbade  him  **  because  he  walketh  not  with 
us."  This  parchment  also  ui\es  in  modern  Sanskrit  a 
history  of  the  Brotherhood  during  later  days. 

The  Sanyasi  Mission  does  not  appear  to  have 
flourished  much  until  the  days  of  Carey,  when  some 
Christian  Saityasis  heard  the  Gospel  from  his  lips  and 
Avcre  fired  with  fresh  enthusiasm.  From  that  time  the 
mission  prosecuted  its  work  with  quickened  faith  and 
its  numbers  bei>an  to  increase. 

In  one  of  the  lariie  northern  cities  the  Sadhu  was 
introduced  to  a  famous  Hindu  ])reaeher  who  was  con- 
sidered a  profound  scholar  in  the  Vcdas.  He  heard 
him  lecture  on  the  Hindu  Scriptures,  and  towards  the 
end  the  lecturer  said,  *'  The  A'edas  re\  eal  to  us  the  need 
of  redemption  from  sin,  but  where  is  the  redeemer  ? 
The  '  Prajapathi,'  of  whom  the  Vedas  speak,  is  Christ 
who  has  <^iven  His  life  as  a  ransom  for  sinners.*'  When 
tiuestioned  afterwards  by  Hindus  the  lecturer  said,  "'  It 
is  I  who  belie\e  in  the  Vedns  and  not  you,  because  I 
believe  in  Him  whom  the  A'edas  reveal,  that  is  Christ.'' 

In  s])eakin.i>'  of  this  the  Sadhu  declared  that  the  oreat 
need  of  our  a<>e  is  that  the  Church  should  have  a  broad 
vision  :    that  the  Christian  should  transcend  the  limita- 


90 


SADHU    SUNDAR     SINGH 


tions  of  sect  and  creed,  and  be  prepared  to  recognize 
the  Spirit  of  God  in  whatever  form  He  may  be  made 
manifest.  He  added  that  he  fully  believed  the  Sanyasi 
Mission  is  being  blessed  of  God,  and  although  it  has 
taken  a  form  we  are  not  accustomed  to,  it  is  given  to 
its  leaders  to  do  great  things  for  India. 

Yishu  Nasri  Nath  ki  Jai — "  Victory  to  Jesus  Lord  of 
Nazareth  " — is  the  password  of  this  secret  Brotherhood 
of  Christians  in  India. 


CHAPTER   XXIV 

Sadhu  Sundar  Singh  and  the  Maharishi  of  Kailash 

Some   time   ago   a   North   Indian   newspaper   published 
the  following  : — 

Our  worldless,  selfless,  and  godly  brother  Sundar  Singh  has 
diseovered  the  Christian  hermit  the  Maharislii  at  Kailash, 
who  has  for  years  been  on  the  snowy  Himalayas  praying 
and  interceding  for  the  world.  .  .  .  You  have  revealed  to 
the  world  the  secret  of  one  of  the  members  of  our  mission 
the  Maharishi  at  Kailash. 

During  his  pilgrimage  in  Western  Tibet  the  Sadhu 
was  constantly  searching  for  those  holy  men  who  retire 
to  the  snowy  peaks  and  caves  of  these  distant  mountains, 
there  to  spend  their  last  days  in  contemplation.  Far 
from  the  dwellings  of  men  in  the  silence  of  the  eternal 
snows  stretches  the  Kailash  range  of  the  Himalayas, 
The  mighty  Ijidus  has  its  source  in  this  range,  and  its 
great  tributary,  the  Sutlcj,  also  takes  its  rise  there. 
The  Sutlej  flows  through  the  country  of  Sundar  Singh's 
birth,  and  at  one  point  where  the  bed  of  the  stream  is 
8,494  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  the  rocky  gorge 
presents  a  scene  of  awful  sublimity,  and  is  one  of  the 
natural  wonders  of  the  world. 

On  the  summit  of  one  of  the  mountains  of  the  Kailash 
Range  is  a  deserted  Buddhist  temple  now  rarely  visited 
by  man.     A  few  miles  from  this  temple  dwells  the  great 


92  SADIIU     srXDAR     SIXGH 

saint  known  as  the  Maharishi  of  Kailasli,  in  a  ra^c  some 
13,000  feet  above  sea  level.  All  this  region  is  the 
Olynipns  of  India,  the  seat  of  Hindu  holy  myths,  and  it 
is  assoeiated  in  Hindu  saered  books  with  the  names  of 
^reat  and  devout  souls  of  all  tijues.  In  one  eave  the 
Sadhu  found  tlie  skeleton  of  some  nameless  holy  man 
who  had  died  Avhilst  meditating-  there. 

The  seenery  all  around  is  grand  and  im])ressive,  and 
amidst  the  e\'erlastino-  snows,  s])riniis  of  boiling  water 
bubble  up  from  out  the  frozen  ground.  Some  three  days' 
journey  from  this  plaee  is  the  famous  Lake  Manasarowar, 
an  exquisitely  beautiful  and  holy  plaee.  On  the  Lake 
fk)at  many  fine  swans,  and  u})on  the  overhanging  eliffs, 
in  sweet  ])ieturesqueness,  are  ])erehed  ancient  Hiiddhist 
tem])les  and  monasteries.  The  Sadhu  deseribes  this  as 
one  of  the  loveliest  ])]aees  he  has  ever  seen,  but  he  also 
adds  that  here  too  are  found  the  most  cruel  of  nomadic 
tribes,  who  slay  for  the  pure  lo\'e  of  it,  and  thus  convert 
the  place  into  a  terror  to  the  harmless  pilgrims  travelling 
through  it. 

In  the  summer  of  1012  he  travelled  through  these 
regions  alone  and  on  foot,  often  refreshed  by  the  beautiful 
scenes  through  which  he  passed,  but  more  often  fatigued 
to  the  last  degree  in  his  dillicult  and  fruitless  search 
for  the  holy  men  he  hoped  to  meet  there.  He  will 
never  forget  the  day  when,  struck  with  snow-blindness 
and  almost  Mcaried  to  death,  he  staggered  drearily  on 
over  snowy  and  stony  crags  not  knowing  whither  he 
Avent.  Suddenly  he  lost  his  balance  and  fell.  Recover- 
ing from  the  fall  he  awoke  to  one  of  the  greatest  experi- 
ences of  his  life,  for  he  o])ened  his  eyes  to  iuid  himself 
lying  outside  a  huge  cave,  in  the  shelter  of  which  sat  the 
Maharishi  of  Kailash  in  deep  meditation. 

The  sight  that  met  his  eyes  was  so  appalling  that 
Sundar  closed  them  and  almost  fainted.     Little  bv  little 


THE     MAHARISHI     OF     KAILASH  9:5 

he  ventured  to  make  an  inspection  of  the  object  before 
him,  and  then  discovered  that  he  was  looking  at  a  li\'inp[ 
human  being,  but  so  old  and  clothed  with  long  hair  as  to 
appear  at  first  glance  like  an  animal.  Sundar  realized 
that  thus  unexpectedly  he  had  succeeded  in  his  search 
after  a  holy  man,  and  as  soon  as  he  could  conunand  his 
voice  he  spoke  to  the  aged  saint.  Recalled  from  his 
meditation,  the  saint  o])cned  his  eyes  and,  casting  a 
piercing  glance  upon  the  Sadhu,  amazed  him  by  saying, 
*'  Let  us  kneel  and  pray.  '  Then  followed  a  most  earnest 
Christian  prayer  ending  in  the  name  of  Jesus.  This  over, 
the  Maharishi  unrolled  a  ponderous  copy  of  the  Gospels 
in  Greek,  and  read  some  verses  from  Matthew,  chapter  v. 
The  Sadhu  heard  from  his  own  li}>s  the  account  of 
his  wonderful  life.  He  claimed  to  be  of  very  great  age. 
The  roll  from  which  he  had  read  he  explained  had  come 
down  to  him  from  Francis  Xavier,  and  the  Sadhu  noticed 
that  it  was  all  written  in  Greek  Uncials,  and  may  there- 
fore prove  to  be  of  value  to  scholars  should  it  come 
into  their  possession.  The  Saint  said  he  was  born  in 
Alexandria  of  a  Muhammadan  family,  and  was  brought 
up  to  be  a  zealous  foiio\ver  of  the  prophet.  At  the  age 
of  thirty  he  renounced  the  world  and  entered  a  monastery 
in  order  to  give  himself  up  entirely  to  religion.  But  the 
more  he  read  the  Qur'ari  and  prayed,  the  more  unhappy 
he  became.  During  these  days  of  s]:)iritual  distress  he 
heard  of  a  Christian  ^aint  who  had  gone  over  from  India 
to  preach  in  Alexandria,  and  from  him  he  heard  words 
of  life  that  filled  his  hopeless  soid  with  joy.  He  now 
left  the  monastery  to  accompany  his  teacher  in  his 
missionary  journeys.  After  some  time  spent  thus, 
permission  was  given  him  to  go  on  his  own  account  to 
preach  the  Gospel  wherever  God  sent  him.  The  Saint 
then  started  out  on  an  evangelistic  campaign  that 
continued  a  very  long  time. 


04 


svniiu    srxDAR    six(;h 


At  lust.  Avcaricd  with  his  stremious  labours,  the  Saint 
resolved  to  spend  the  remainder  of  his  days  in  the 
seehidcd  spot  where  Sundar  found  him,  Dnrin<T  the  years 
spent  in  this  place  the  Saint  has  learnt  mueh  about 
the  products  of  the  luountams  and  junoles  aroiuid  him, 
by  means  of  which  he  has  l)een  able  to  snbsist  to  this 
day.  When  the  Sadhu  first  met  him  he  was  chilled  to 
the  bone  by  the  l)itter  cold.  The  Saint  nrave  him  the 
leaves  of  a  certain  ])lant  to  eat,  which  havino-  eaten  he 
immediately  felt  a  <'omfortable  ^low  steal  over  his  body. 

The  Sadhu  had  long  conversations  with  him  abont 
holy  things,  and  heard  many  strange  things  from  his 
lips.  Some  of  the  excellent  illustrations  Sundar  uses  in 
his  sermons  were  given  him  by  this  aged  Saint.  The 
Maharishi  belongs  to  the  Sanyasi  Mission.  His  astonish- 
ing visions,  as  related  to  the  Sadhu,  would,  if  written 
down,  read  like  another  Book  of  Revelation,  so  strange 
and  incomprehensible  are  they.  The  Sadhu  himself 
warns  readers  and  hearers  of  these  visions  that  common 
interpretations  can  never  disclose  their  meaning,  since 
the  Saint  has  to  clothe  his  ideals  in  language  that  cannot 
be  taken  literally.  Sundar  Singh  has  visited  the 
Maharishi  three  times,  and  hopes  to  see  him  again  at 
some  future  time. 


/ 


CHAPTER   XXV 

Sadiiu   Suxdar   SixCxH   in    South    India 

"  I  speak  .  .  .  those  things  which  I  have  lieard  of  Him  ...  as 
My  Father  hath  taught  me,  I  speak  these  things  "  (.lohn  viii.  26,  28). 

"  Obey  I  beseech  thee  the  voice  of  the  Lord,  wliich  I  speak  imto 
thee  ;    so  shall  .  .  .  thy  soul  live  "  (.Jer.  xxxviii.  20). 

Without  any  idea  of  the  protraeted  tour  in  front  of 
him,  the  Sadhn  eamc  down  to  Madras  at  the  beginning 
of  1918,  intending  to  visit  a  few  places  before  starting 
for  Tibet.  But  his  fame  had  preceded  him,  and  invita- 
tions poured  in  upon  him  from  all  over  South  India. 
An  offer  vohmtarily  made  by  a  gentleman  in  Madras  to 
act  as  interpreter  for  a  few  weeks  caused  him  to  alter 
his  plans,  and  to  accept  a  programme  which  eventually 
included  Travaneore  and  Ceylon. 

Every  day  fresh  entreaties  reached  him  from  all 
directions,  and  out  of  them  grew  that  great  evangelistic 
tour  not  only  through  the  South  and  Ceylon,  but  also 
Burma,  the  Federated  Malay  States,  China,  and  Japan. 

The  large  Chrislian  community  of  South  India  provided 
an  immense  sphere  for  his  operations,  and,  regardless 
of  distmction  of  caste  or  creed,  thousands  flocked  to 
his  meetings  everywhere.  His  work  was  varied  and 
strenuous.  Often  the  day's  work  began  so  early  and 
continued  so  late  that  he  had  scarcely  time  for  meals, 
and  no  leisure  even  for  the  study  of  his  New  Testament. 
In  places  where  he  spent  many  days  the  people  rested 


m  SADHU     vSUNDAR     SINGH 

after  his  departure  as  a  man  docs  after  a  good  meal ;  but 
in  no  place  did  people  imagine  that  the  Sadhu  needed  rest. 

Long  days  of  engagements  were  succeeded  by  a 
wearisome  night's  journey  by  boat,  bullock  cart,  or 
train.  The  new  day's  work  began  upon  arrival  and 
continued  until  departure.  Public  meetings  were  usually 
held  morning  and  evening,  and  for  hours  between  the 
Sadhu  sat  receiving  visitors  and  holding  interviews, 
when  he  gave  advice,  solved  the  religious  problems  that 
were  presented  to  him,  and  answered  enquirers  as  far  as 
he  was  able.  The  number  present  on  such  occasions 
varied  from  a  single  person  to  a  hundred  or  more.  The 
value  of  these  meetings  was  testified  to  by  the  witness 
of  those  who  attended  them,  as  also  by  the  fact  that 
the  longer  the  Sadhu  stayed  in  a  place  the  greater  were 
the  numbers  who  sought  to  see  him. 

In  one  place  where  great  numbers  sought  him  for 
spiritual  guidance  a  student  in  the  hostel  where  he 
stayed  made  it  his  happy  duty  to  watch  over  him  by 
admitting  the  visitors.  The  young  man  kept  the  key  of 
the  Sadhu's  door,  and  as  the  time  for  devotions  or 
meals  came  round  som^e  small  measure  of  privacy  and 
rest  was  assured. 

In  large  centres  where  there  were  colleges  and  high 
schools,  these  were  visited  between  nnorning  and  evening 
meetings,  and  addresses  were  given  to  the  students. 
The  acceptance  of  in\itations  to  private  houses  to  meet 
parties  of  Christians,  involved  extra  work  at  the  close 
of  arduous  days.  The  barrier  of  language  was  a  difficulty 
in  the  south,  where  so  many  Dravidian  tongues  are 
spoken.  Wherever  possible  interviews  were  conducted 
in  English,  but  at  many  of  these,  as  well  as  in  public, 
the  Sadhu  was  often  obliged  to  speak  by  interpretation, 
and  that  not  always  of  the  best.  To  one  so  ardent  in 
temperament,  so  full  of  his  message,  so  anxious  for  souls, 


SADHl'   SUXDAIl   SINGH    IX   SOI  Til    INDIA       97 

this  lau<»na<j|c  dilficulty  was  a  ^-^'rv  real  oiu',  but  to  set' 
him  at  these  times  no  one  would  surmise  his  i'eeliuos. 

The  Sadhu  seeks  for  no  diseiples  to  follow  his  exam})le.  t 
He  ri<,^htiy  holds  that  a  man  nuist  have  a  distinct  call 
of  God  to  cm])ark  on  sueh  a  life.  Ilis  advice  to  all  is 
sane,  wise,  suited  to  the  j)eo})le  to  whom  it  is  given. 
His  devout  mother's,  example  in  brin^inj>  him  up  to 
reverence  religion  is  a  constant  {)aral)le  of  life  in  his 
talks  to  women.  He  ol'tcii  says,  "  If  a  non-Christian 
mother  can  do  so  nnich  for  her  son,  how  much  more 
can  you  Christian  mothers  do  for  your  sons  ?  ""  Deeply 
lox'ing  the  New  Testament  himself,  he  speaks  of  Christians 
loving  it  more  than  he,  since  they  ha\e  ne\er  torn  and 
burnt  it  as  he  once  did,  but  havv  been  trained  to  honour 
and  love  it.  How  conscience-stricken  many  of  his 
hearers  are  when  they  hear  him  say  this,  he  does  not  know  ! 

It  has  been  no  uncommon  thing  during  the  Sadhu's 
stay  in  South  India  for  Hindus  to  seek  him  in  the  silent 
hours  of  the  night,  when  he  will  "  spend  and  be  spent  '' 
in  their  service  whilst  others  sleep.  Growing  demands 
were  made  on  his  time  and  strength  by  the  munbers  of 
letters  he  received  from  peoj)le  in  {)laces  he  had  \isited, 
and  the  recjuests  for  his  prayers  were  legion. 

Christians  by  thousands,  who  have  seen  Sadhu  Sundar 
Singh,  behold  in  him  what  it  is  possible  for  (iod  to 
make  of  a  man  who  submits  himsell"  soul  and  body  to 
his  Saviour,  and  so  long  as  he  is  ^•isible,  jjcople  ne\"er 
grow  weary  of  looking  at  him.  They  hnxv  reccixed 
him  and  his  message  with  great  joy  whercxir  he  has 
been,  the  only  regi'et  Ixing  that  he  could  not  stay  longer 
to  consolidate  his  work.  How  deej)  and  lar-reaching 
the  results  of  his  work  are  onl\'  Ciod  knows,  but  that  his 
coming  was  timely  and  that  Ciod  sent  him,  none  can  for 
a  moment  dou})t.  He  places  before  men  the  true  ideal 
of  ii  godly  life  of  self-surrender  to  Christ,  and  of  self- 
abnegation  in  His  ser^  ice.  7 


CHAPTER   XXVI 

Sadhu    Sundar    Singh    at    a    Great    Christian 

Convention 

THE  CALL.  "  Oh,  Young  Men,  awake  and  see  how  many 
souls  are  daily  perishing  around  you.  Is  it  not  your  duty  to  save 
them  ?  Be  brave  soldiers  of  Christ  ;  Go  forward  in  full  armout  ; 
Crush  Satan's  work  and  victory  be  yours. 

"  Glory  to  God.  He  has  given  you  a  precious  opportunity  to  be 
saved  and  to  save  others.  If  you  are  careless  now,  you  will  never 
get  another  chance.  Whatever  you  have  got  to  do,  do  it  now. 
For  you  will  never  pass  through  the  field  of  battle  again.  The 
day  is  fast  approaching  when  you  will  see  the  martyrs  in  their 
glory,  who  gave  their  health,  wealth  and  life  to  win  souls  for  Christ. 
They  have  done  much.  What  have  you  done  ?  Oh  !  may  we 
not  blush  on  that  dav." — Sundak  Singh. 


This  clarion  call  resounded  all  through  South  India, 
stirring  hearts  everywhere  ;  but  perhaps  nowhere  was 
it  so  clear,  so  insistent,  as  at  the  Conventions  of  Christians 
in  Travancore  and  Ceylon.  Where  Christians  are 
numerous,  annual  conventions  for  the  deepening  of 
spiritual  life  have  of  late  years  become  very  popular. 
Like  the  Keswick  Convention,  meetings  arc  held  for  a 
week  with  settled  programmes  and  preachers,  and  an- 
attended  by  increasing  numbers  as  time  goes  on. 
Several  of  the  conventions  have  been  blessed  by  the 
presence  of  the  Sadhu,  the  largest  in  point  of  numbers 
being  in  Travancore. 

The  historic  Syrian  Church  of  Malabar  proudly  dates 


AT    A     GREAT     CHRISTIAN     CONVENTIOX      99 

back  to  the  days  when  it  is  believed  that  St.  Thomas 
landed  on  these  shores  and  laid  the  foinidations  of 
Christianity  in  India.  This  ancient  Church  is  divided 
into  three  sections,  the  Roman,  the  Jacobite  and  the 
Mar  Thoma  Syrian. 

About  the  middle  of  February,  1918,  the  Sadhu 
attended  the  Jacobite  Syrian  Convention  in  North 
Travancore,  when  some  20,000  people  came  together, 
and  he  spent  a  happy  and  useful  time  amongst  them. 
From  there  at  the  end  of  the  month  he  went  on  to  the 
Mar  Thoma  Syrian  Convention,  also  in  North  Travan- 
core. 

This  latter  was  a  romantic  and  remarkable  experience 
not  soon  to  be  forgotten.  A  hundred  miles  north  of 
Trivandram  is  the  widest  and  most  beautiful  river  of 
Travancore.  In  the  dry  season  the  river  flows  only  in 
the  deepest  parts  of  its  bed.  A  big  bend  in  the  river 
leaves  a  very  large  sandy  island  upon  which  each  year 
an  immense  booth  is  erected  to  accommodate  25,000 
people.  For  a  week  meetings  are  carried  on  during  the 
greater  })art  of  each  day.  P^very  day  long  before  dawn 
a  man  with  a  stentorian  voice  passed  round  the  encamp- 
ment cryuig,  "  Praise  be  to  God  !  Praise  to  the  Son  of 
God  !  '*  Very  soon  after  the  soimd  of  prayer  rose  all 
around.  These  prayers  were  chanted  to  ancient  Syrian 
tunes,  the  weird  sound  rising  in  gradual  crescendo  ;  and 
thus  was  the  blessing  of  God  invoked  before  the  meetings 
each  day.  The  Sadhu  drew  greater  crowds  than  usual, 
so  that  before  the  end  of  the  week  the  booth  had  to  be 
enlarged,  and  at  the  final  meeting  no  fewer  than  32,000 
people  gathered  to  hear  his  last  message. 

The  wonder  of  that  daily  scene  is  almost  beyond 
description.  A  rough  jjlatform  about  eighteen  inches 
high  had  been  placed  about  a  third  of  the  way  from  the 
back   of  the   booth,   and   on   one  end   stood   two   chairs 


100  SADHU     SUNDAR     SINGH 

occupied  by  the  two  Bisliops  of  the  Mar  Thoma  Syrian 
Church,  who  a})pcarcd  daily  in  resplendent  robes  of  red 
or  purple  satin  with  ookl  belts  and  quaint  head-dresses. 
On  the  platform  below,  sitting  tailor  fashion,  were  the 
clerffv  of  the  Church,  and  in  front  of  them  in  the  same 
lowly  style  sat  the  Sadhu. 

The  vast  crowds  were  seated  on  the  sand,  the  women 
all  in  white  on  the  left,  and  the  men  in  front  and  at  the 
right.     Away  over  the  sea  of  heads  one  caught  glimpses 
of  the  shining  river,  with  its  strange  craft  plying  up  and 
down.     A  more  devout  crowd  it  is  not  possible  to  imagine 
Every  day  the  early  part  of  the  meetings  was  given  to 
j)rayer.     Subjects  were  given  for  silent  prayer  from  time 
to  time  by  the  presiding  Bishop,  when  every  head  was 
bowed,    and    the   almost    inaudible    nuirmur    of    ])rayer 
gradually   increased   until  a   sound   like  the   surging  sea 
rolling  in   full  tide   rose  all  around — a  most  im])ressive 
ex})erienee  ! 

The  fearful  heat  was  only  equalled  by  the  intense 
silence  that  ])revailed  as  the  Sadhu  rose  to  speak.  Often 
in  his  northern  country  he  had  heard  of  the  great  number 
of  Christians  in  TraAancore,  and  thousands  had  gathered 
in  our  own  mission  to  hear  him.  But  here  for  the  firs-fc 
time  he  realized,  as  he  looked  at  this  mighty  crowd 
how  great  the  numl)er  was  ;  and  his  heart  was  filled  Avith 
wonder  a.  to  why  the  (ios})el  had  been  so  long  in  reaching 
tlie  millions  of  greater  India. 

In  brave  stern  words  he  reminded  this  nndtitude 
that  through  the  ages  God  had  made  the  Syrian  Church 
the  repository  of  His  truth,  but  that  failure  on  their  part 
to  hand  on  the  Gospel  to  their  own  countrymen  had 
forced  God  to  call  men  from  America  and  England  to  do 
the  work  they  had  left  undone.  Then,  alluding  to  the 
great  reform  movement  in  this  ancient  Church,  he 
earnestly    and    tenderly    besought    them    to    rise    to    the 


AT     A     GREAT     CHRISTIAN     CONVENTION     101 

call — unheard   for  so   long — and   send   the   light   to   the 
millions  who  are  still  dying  in  darkness.* 

This  same  appeal  has  been  made  in  other  places  since 
then,  and  the  hearts  of  people  have  been  stirred  to 
this  great  issue  as  never  before.  The  Sadhii  clearly  sees 
the  duty  and  privilege  God  is  offering  to  the  Indian 
Church  to  enter  into  His  purposes,  and  claim  for  Him  the 
myriads  of  this  ancient  land.  By  his  own  example,  as 
w'c\[  as  by  his  words,  he  urges  India's  sons  to  take  up 
their  cross  at  all  costs,  and  follow  Christ  to  final  victory. 


♦  The  Syrian  Church  in  Travancore  has  been  alive  to  this  great 
need  for  some  years,  and  is  continually  increasing  the  number  of 
missionaries  it  has  begun  to  send  to  different  parts  of  India. 

LIBRARY  OF 

TENNENT  COLLEGE 

^r-     ^.    .r->,<~.T|A«SJ     FDUCATiCN 


CHAPTER    XXV 11 
Ceylon 


"  Thou  shalt  be  His  witness 
heard." — Acts  xx.  15. 


.  of  what  thou  hast  seen  and 


In  May,  1918,  the  Sadhu  had  almost  completed  a  long 
and  arduous  tour  through  South  India.  Before  passing 
west  and  north  again  he  left  the  great  continent  of  his 
birth,  and  crossing  to  Colombo  spent  six  weeks  in  Ceylon. 
During:  those  crowded  weeks  the  enthusiasm  of  the  south 
was  repeated  in  every  place  he  visited,  and  increasingly 
as  the  days  went  by.  Probably  for  the  first  time  in 
Ceylon  missionaries,  ministers,  and  laymen  of  all  denomi- 
nations joined  together  for  a  campaign  that  should  vo\qt 
most  of  the  important  towns  of  the  Island  ;  and  their 
harmonious  co-operation  not  only  made  things  run 
smoothly  for  the  Sadhu,  but  largely  contributed  to  the 
very  real  success  of  his  work.  Everything  was  done  to 
ensure  his  visiting  as  many  places  as  possible,  and  local 
papers  in  Colombo,  Kandy,  and  Jaffna  reported  his 
progress  as  he  went  along. 

Mr.  Wilson,  the  convener  of  the  committee  that 
arranged  his  programme,  wrote  ; — 

His  (the  Sadhu's)  meetings  were  always  attended  by 
enormous  crowds.  People  began  to  come  in  from  3  o'clock 
when    the    meetings    were    announced   to    begin   at    6    p.m. 


CF.YLON  103 

Catholics  and  Hindus  came  in  great  iiunibers,  and  people 
from  as  far  as  forty  miles  off  came  to  Colombo  to  attend  the 
meetings.  At  no  place  could  a  hall  be  got  large  enough  to 
hold  the  crowds  that  thronged  to  hear  him  day  after  day. 
Drawing-room  meetings  were  arranged  in  many  places. 
Probably  no  Christian  evangelical  effort  so  greatly  stirred 
the  people  as  this  mission  of  an  Indian  convert  garbed  as 
a  sanyasi.  There  was  no  w-ay  of  translating  the  addresses 
into  Sinhalese.  An  attempt  was  made,  but  proving  unsatis- 
factory the  idea  was  abandoned. 

A  Hindu  gentleman  well  acquainted  with  the  recent 
revival  literature  of  Hinduism  was  desirous  of  putting 
into  the  question-box  a  question  relating  to  prayer.  By 
a  happy  coincidence  that  night  the  Sadhu  spoke  on 
prayer.  The  man  listened  very  attentively,  and  at  the 
end  he  said,  "  He  is  really  a  spiritual  guru  (teacher)  and 
I  hope  to  get  light  from  him." 

In  Jaffna,  a  large  city  on  the  north  of  the  Island,  a 
real  spiritual  work  was  done.  In  writing  of  the  Sadhu 
the  Rev.  G.  G.  Brown,  M.A.,  a  missionary  in  Jaffna, 
said  of  the  Sadhu  : — 

He  has  a  deep  and  unique  religious  experience,  yet  it  is 
with  great  hesitancy  that  he  speaks  about  it,  and  he  never 
gives  the  impression  that  his  should  be  the  normal  experience, 
or  that  others  should  follow  his  manner  of  living.  His  hold 
on  the  people  is  real,  and  I  have  never  seen  large  meetings 
at  Jaffna  at  which  the  attention  was  so  marked.  Part  of 
his  charm  and  power  lies  in  the  fact  that  he  represents  a 
purely  Indian  type  of  life  and  thought,  and  in  him  we  have 
an  expression  of  Christian  ideals  in  a  purely  Indian  setting. 

Invitations  were  scattered  broadcast  amongst  non- 
Christians  which  were  well  responded  to  by  Buddhists, 
Muhammadans,  and  Hindus,  and  they  were  assured  that 
if  they  came  "  with  an  open  mind  they  shoidd  not  return 
without  gain."  In  several  places,  especially  in  Jaffna, 
after  the  Sadhu's  departure,  articles  appeared  in  the 
local  papers  earnestly  urging  a  practical  issue,  and  inviting 


10&  SADIIU     SUXDAR     SINGH 

college  and  school  teachers  as  well  as  ministers  to  follow 
lip  the  work  while  hearts  were  likely  to  be  responsive 
to  the  message  of  life. 

The  Sadhii  often  addressed  as  many  as  three  meetings 
a  day,  as  well  as  conducting  interviews,  and  he  suffered 
so  much  from  the  moist  heat  that  in  writing  to  a  friend 
in  the  north  he  likened  himself  to  a  lump  of  salt  in 
solution,  adding,  he  was  "  willing  to  melt  like  salt  if  only 
the  south  might  be  salted." 

The  Sadhu's  tour,  both  through  Ceylon  and  South 
India,  was  a  remarkable  experience.  In  Colombo  every 
day  hundreds  could  not  get  near  the  doors  of  his  meetings, 
and  from  dawn  to  late  at  night  great  numbers  sought 
him  out  for  spiritual  guidance,  so  that  all  the  time  his 
life  was  lived  amongst  crowds.  Newspapers  wrote 
about  him,  and  his  name  became  a  household  word  in 
thousands  of  Christian  homes.  But  multitudes  and 
popularity  count  for  nothing  to  the  Sadhu  beyond  the 
fact  that  they  provide  for  him  opportunities  to  preach 
Christ  and  reach  the  souls  of  men.  At  what  cost  this 
great  work  has  been  done  only  the  Sadhu  himself  knows. 
His  calm  dignity  amongst  the  enormous  crowds  that 
siirro\mded  him  and  invaded  his  privacy  at  all  hours, 
gave  no  hint  of  his  innermost  shrinking  from  such  great 
publicity. 

One  great  safeguard  to  the  Sadhu  in  the  enormous 
temptations  such  experiences  bring,  is  his  absolute 
simplicity,  that  simplicity  which  Fenelon  describes  as 
"  an  uprightness  of  soul  which  has  ceased  to  dwell  upon 
itself  or  its  actions,"  where  Christ  is  all  and  self  less 
than  the  dust. 

On  his  return  to  Colombo  after  touring  the  Island 
he  held  a  series  of  meetings,  when  his  addresses  were 
translated  from  Urdu  into  English  by  Canon  Goldsmith, 
who  went  over  from  Madras  for  the  purpose. 


CEYLON  105 

In  many  parts  of  Ceylon  the  Sadhu  was  nmeh  impressed 
by  the  apparent  wealth  of  the  people  and  their  love  of 
display.  He  spoke  freqnently  and  clearly  everywhere 
with  regard  to  the  hindrance  these  things  are  to  a  trnc 
and  simple  Christian  life,  and  he  nrged  that  humbler 
Christians  should  not  be  hindered  in  their  higher  life, 
since  they  could  only  reluctantly  enter  churches  where 
such  exhibitions  were  indulged  in. 

He  found  here  as  in  the  South  that  the  s])irit  of  caste 
amongst  Christians  seriously  militated  against  sjiiritnal 
progress,  and  he  was  as  unsparing  in  his  condcnmation 
as  he  was  tender  in  his  pleading  that  this  great  stumbling- 
block  should  be  removed. 

In  his  own  inimitable  way  Sadhu  Sundar  Singh  used 

a  striking  simile  when  he  compared  India  to  a  giant,  the 

snowy  Himalayas  being  the  head,  and  South  India  the 

feet.     Putting  his  fmger  on  the  weak  spot  in  the  armour 

of  Southern  Christianity  he  said,  "  It  is  with  the  feet  of 

South   Indian  Christians  that  Christianitv  can   walk   in 

■if 
India.     But  alas  !   although  the  feet  are  there,  apparently 

strong   and    well   shaped    they    cannot  walk.     What  is, 

wrong  ?     As  in  the  case  of  a  man  I  saw  in  Cochin,  there 

is  elephantiasis  in  the  feet,  and  this  elephantiasis  is  the 

spirit  of  caste." 

Who  can  speak  with  greater  authority  on  this  subject 
than  Sadhu  Sundar  Singh  himself  ?  Like  Paul,  who 
declared  himself  "  a  Hebrew  of  the  Hebrews,"  so  may 
the  Sadhu  claim  to  be  "a  Sikh  of  the  Sikhs  " — one  of  the 
])roudest  names  in  India  ;  but  instead  his  life  testifies  to 
the  words,  "  God  forbid  that  I  should  glory,  save  in  the 
cross  of  Jcsiis  Christ,  by  whom  the  world  is  crucified 
imto  me  and  I  unto  the  world." 

In  passing  through  Ceylon  and  India  the  Sadhu  has 
made  his  appeal.  Well  might  he  say,  "  Be  ye  followers 
of   me  "    in    this    great    matter.     When    will    the   great 


106  SADHU     SUNDAR     SINGH 

Christian  Church  accept  and  abide  by  his  teaching  and 
example,  and  casting  off  the  chains  of  centuries  enter  into 
that  ""  fidness  of  life  "  of  which  the  Sadhii  so  constantly 
spoke,  and  which  he  himself  enjoys  ?  Thus,  and  thus 
only,  shall  she  enter  into  that  abundant  and  glorious 
service  that  shall  claim  India  for  her  Lord. 

The  visit  of  Sadhu  Sundar  Singh  to  the  Churches  of 
South  India  and  Ceylon  is  over.  His  work  is  done,  and 
he  has  passed  to  other  lands  and  other  commimities. 
The  hearts  of  thousands  have  been  touched  by  his 
message  and  his  personality,  and  though  eminently 
practical  he  has  stirred  deep  emotions  in  every  place  he 
has  been  to.  Probably  no  single  man  has  attracted  so 
much  attention  and  devotion  in  all  the  history  of  the 
Christian  Church  in  India. 

During  his  visit  people  constantly  besought  him  to 
pray  for  them  ;  to  visit  and  pray  with  sick  friends  and 
to  bless  little  children  ;  and  even  to  touch  his  robe 
brought  comfort  to  many.  As  the  Sadhu  continued  his 
journey  through  the  South,  these  requests  and  this 
treatment  became  so  general,  and  reports  of  his  having 
healed  the  sick  by  his  touch  or  through  prayer  so 
persistent,  that  he  was  obliged  to  decline  requests  to 
visit  the  homes  of  people,  lest  superstitious  beliefs  should 
cause  them  to  look  upon  him  as  a  worker  of  miracles. 
When  asked  to  bless  people  his  reply  invariably  was, 
"  How  can  these  hands  bless  anyone — these  hands  that 
tore  up  God's  Word  and  burnt  it  in  the  fire  ?  " 

Not  by  such  means  did  Sundar  Singh  strive  to  bring 
men  to  the  feet  of  his  JNIaster  !  But  by  forceful  message 
and  by  a  living  example  he  showed  men  how  to  tread 
the  same  path,  and  with  persuasive  tenderness  he  sought 
to  lead  them  to  the  Saviour.  Is  Sundar  Singh  to  pass 
leaving  only  a  burning  message  and  precious  memory  ? 

Greater  than  the  blessing  of  his  hands,  greater  than 


CEVLON 


107 


his  personality,  is  the  deep  desire  of  his  heart  that  the 
Christians  of  India  and  Ceylon  may  accept  his  ministry, 
put  it  into  })ractiee,  live  by  it,  and  with  him  become  true 
and  devoted  followers  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Let  us  arise,  and,  "  His  grace  abiding,"  follow  Sadhu 
Sundar  Singh  even  as  he  follows  Christ. 


CHAPTER    XXVIII 

"  Unto   the   Uttermost   Parts   of  the   Earth  " 

"  I  live  by  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God."~Galatians  ii.  20. 

Returning  in  July  to  India  the  Sadhu  completed  his 
work  in  the  South,  turning  west  to  Bombay  for  a  confer- 
ence and  then  north  to  Calcutta,  where  soon  after  his 
arrival  he  fell  ill  of  influenza  which  was  raging  there  at 
the  time.  In  writing  of  this  afterwards  he  said,  "  In 
sickness  God  has  given  me  the  rest  and  time  for  prayer 
I  could  not  get  in  the  South."  Upon  his  recoAcry  he 
went  to  spend  a  few  days  at  Bolpur  with  the  great 
Eastern  Mystic,  Sir  Rabindranath  Tagore,  returning  to 
Calcutta  to  obey  a  call  to  A'isit  Burma  and  the  Straits 
Settlements.  The  continuous  messages  of  affection  he 
kept  receiving  from  Ceylon  during  these  and  succeeding 
days  brought  him  a  great  deal  of  happiness. 

On  his  way  over  the  seas  to  Burma  he  wrote,  "  I 
have  much  time  for  prayer  and  am  reading  many  new 
pages  in  the  book  of  nature,"  and  all  who  know  him 
will  imderstand  how  his  store  of  illustrations  would  be 
enriched  from  that  source  in  a  way  entirely  his  own. 
Arrived  at  Rangoon  he  had  the  assistance  of  translators 
and  still  did  most  of  his  work  in  Urdu,  but  even  at  that 
time  he  was  hoping  soon  to  be  able  to  speak  in  English 
and  so  avoid  the  double  and  even  treble  translations  that 


INTO  THE  I  TTERMOST  PARTS  OF  THE  EARTH    109 

weakened  his  messages  and  were  such  a  source  of  trouble 
to  him.  Private  moments  were  given  to  the  study  of 
English,  and  wherever  j)ossible  he  practised  speaking  it. 

Here  and  in  other  cities  he  was  followed  by  an  Arya 
Samaj  preacher  who  strove  to  undo  his  work  by  pouring 
forth  violent  invectives  against  Christianity,  but  people 
were  not  attracted  to  hear  him,  and  he  eventually  gave 
up  in  disgust.  At  one  of  his  meetings  Sundar  Singh 
invited  the  people  to  contribute  to  the  fluids  of  the 
Indian  National  Missionary  Society,  when  a  thank- 
offering  of  Rs.  500  was  immediately  raised  for  that  purpose. 

As  in  South  India  and  Ceylon,  so  here  a  crowded 
programme  awaited  him.  The  visit  of  Bishop  Lefroy 
to  Rangoon  earlier  on  had  prepared  the  way  for  a  good 
reception.  The  Rishoj)  of  Rangoon  took  the  chair  at 
one  of  his  meetings,  when  numerous  thankoffcrings  for 
his  work  were  made  to  God.  These  provided  the  Sadhu 
with  the  necessaries  of  life,  and  met  his  travelling  expenses 
in  Burma  and  to  China  and  Japan. 

All  through  his  life  as  a  Sadhu,  Sundar  Singh  has 
taken  God  at  His  word,  "  Take  no  thought  for  your  life, 
what  ye  shall  eat  .  .  .  ))ut  on,"  and  God  has  amply 
rewarded  his  faith.  To  pass  alone  from  India  through 
Burma,  Mandalay,  Perak,  Singapore,  Penang.  and  away 
to  China  and  Japan,  with  their  ^'a^ying  climates,  peoples, 
and  languages,  without  money  and  with  only  a  foreign 
language  as  his  medium  of  communication  with  strange 
races,  staggers  the  imagination  of  ordinary  people.  But 
the  same  faith  that  in  earlier  years  made  him  turn  his 
back  upon  his  home,  and  took  him  while  yet  a  boy  to  the 
wilds  of  inhospitable  Tibet,  enabled  him  to  go  at  God's 
call  to  these  distant  places  without  a  moment's  hesitation 
or  doubt,  and  that  at  a  time  when,  as  Mr.  K.  T.  Paul  says, 
"  the  whole  of  the  Indian  Church  was  at  his  feet  and  he 
could  have  had  anvthing  he  wanted."     He  is  a  man  so 


no  SADHU     SUNDAR     SINGH 

gladly  obedient  to  his  God  that  he  steps  out  into  an 
utterly  unknown  future  luiprovided  for,  and  lo  !  trains 
stand  ready  for  him,  ships  ride  at  anchor  awaiting  him, 
and  men  of  different  nationalities,  colours,  and  languages 
hold  out  helping  hands  everywhere.  Surely  this  is 
living  ''  by  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God  "  ! 

In  the  cosmopolitan  cities  of  Rangoon,  Singapore, 
and  Penang  the  large  audiences  were  perhaps  as  mixed 
in  race,  status,  and  language  as  anywhere  in  the  world. 
Here  the  Sadhu  came  in  contact  with  Chinese,  Japanese, 
Malays,  Europeans,  and  various  Indian  peoples,  and  his 
addresses  were  usually  translated  by  two  interpreters. 
Urdu,  Burmese,  Bengali,  Tamil,  Telugu,  Chinese,  and 
Engljsh  were  the  means  of  communication,  whilst 
business  men  of  different  races,  army  men,  clerics,  and 
Government  officials  took  the  chair  or  shared  the  same 
platform  with  him. 

For  lack  of  Christian  newspapers  to  report  his  work, 
and  since  he  so  rarely  of  his  own  accord  speaks  about 
it,  information  regarding  his  tour  has  been  difficult  to 
obtain,  but  letters  from  friends  who  have  met  or  enter- 
tained him  give  glimpses  of  interest.  When  the  Sadhu 
went  up  to  Maymyo  he  was  delighted  with  the  fine 
scenery  and  cool  climate.  It  was  in  this  beautiful  spot 
that  he  met  some  Punjabis,  his  own  countrymen,  who, 
though  non-Christians,  insisted  on  his  taking  a  meal 
with  them,  and  much  to  his  joy  invited  him  to  partake 
from  the  same  dish  with  them.  A  missionary  writing 
from  there  said  : — 

Above  all  his  gifts  stands  out  the  soul  of  the  man,  a  soul 
that  has  gripped  to  itself  the  messag*-  it  imparts  to  others. 
In  every  city  he  visited  he  has  left  a  trail  of  light  behind  him. 

From  Ipoh  in  Perak  came  the  pathetic  message  : — 

He  has  taught  us  to  pray,  for  our  prayers  are  quite  different 
now.     My  nephew,  the  son  of  a  non-Christian,  has  always 


UNTO  THE  UTTERMOST  PARTS  OF  THE  EARTH    111 

sai'i  he  would  never  become  a  Christian,  but  would  remain  in 
the  faith  of  his  ancestors  and  perform  his  father's  funeral 
rites.  The  Sadhu  stayed  in  our  house,  and  so  cleared  the 
young  man's  doubts  that  he  now  wishes  to  be  baptized. 

A  leading  medical  man  in  Singapore  sends  a  brief 
message  : — 

His  tour  through  the  Malay  States,  extending  over  a  month, 
was  a  continued  Pentecost. 

Whilst  a  Straits  paper  adds  : — 

His  passionate  advocacy  of  the  Christian  faith  won  the 
hearts  of  his  numerous  hearers. 

At  Bassein  he  was  very  happy  to  find  that  some 
leading  Hindus  and  Muhammadans  were  taking  an 
active  part  in  arranging  for  the  meetings,  and  in  Penang 
another  unexpected  happiness  awaited  him.  He  spoke 
in  the  Empire  Theatre,  the  address  being  summarized 
i«i  Tamil,  Malay,  and  Chinese.  A  meeting  for  Sikhs  in 
Hindustani  was  held  in  St.  George's  Chapel,  when  he 
preached  to  a  full  house.  At  the  close  of  the  meeting  a 
Sikh  gentleman  arose  and  invited  the  Sadhu  to  go  and 
speak  in  the  Sikh  Temple.  At  Penang  also  the  Chief 
of  the  Police  took  the  chair  at  one  of  his  meetings,  and 
gave  a  half-holiday  to  the  police  staff  in  order  to  give 
them  the  opportunity  of  attending. 

It  was  little  wonder  that  fear  was  expressed  in  certain 
quarters  that  so  much  success  might  wean  him  from 
the  simple  sadhu  life.  But  no  one  was  more  alive 
to  the  insidious  temptations  of  the  moment  than  the 
Sadhu  himself,  and  his  constant  prayer  was  that  he 
might  be  kept  humble  and  faithful  to  the  end. 

His  own  impressions  he  writes  as  follows  : — 

The  Burmese  are  of  the  Mongolian  type  and  are 
Buddhists,  and  for  this  reason  they  have  no  true  idea  of 
God.     It  is  difficult  to  make  them  understand,  for  in  their 


112  SADHU     SUXDAR     SINGH 

!an»ua<?c  they  seeip  to  have  no  word  that  rightly  expresses 
our  idea  of  God.  But  they  are  a  simple  people,  and  their 
temples  are  all  open  to  visitors.  They  are  not  bigoted  as 
are  Hindus  and  Sluhaniniadans.  But  the  Hindus  here  not 
only  attend  meetings  themselves  but  bring  their  wives  with 
tliem. 

Thtn  he  adds  : — 

I  do  not  see  as  others  seem  to  see  what  a  great  work  is 
going  on  among  the  people. 

The  beginning  of  1019  inarks  a  great  event  in  the 
Sadhii's  careerr^oSrrT>M5nl5^itl  he  make  his  long  journey 
to  China  and  Japan,  but  on  January  2  he  found  himself 
in  Singa})ore  amidst  a  people  whose  eommon  language 
was  English,  and  there  was  no  one  who  eould  translate 
from  Hindustani  for  him.  Immediately  he  resolved  to 
use  English,  and  from  that  day  his  work  was  almost 
entirely  done  in  that  language.  Only  a  few  months 
before  some  important  engagements  in  Sf)uth  India  liad 
been  dropped  for  laek  of  an  interpreter,  so  that  it  is 
not  surprising  that  those  who  were  praying  that  his 
work  in  tliese  distant  lands  might  be  effeetive,  felt  that 
their  prayers  were  answered  when  they  heard  that  the 
Sadliu   was  fearlessly  s])eaking  in  Englisli. 

From  Singapore  he  went  to  China,  where  he  stayed 
a  short  time.  Bisliop  Maloney  gave  him  a  note  of 
introduetion  to  a  Japanese  Bishop,  and  after  a  few 
meetings  lie  left  China,  with  the  promise  to  spend  a  little 
time  on  his  way  baek,  and  took  ship  to  Japan.  When  he 
reaehed  that  eountry  and  lieard  the  Japanese  sj)eaking 
in  English  he  felt  nuieh  encH>uraged.  Thus  the  great 
barrier  of  language  which  had  so  often  hampered  and 
distressed  him  is  broken  down,  and  he  thanks  God 
who  has  enabled  him  to  witness  to  the  ends  of  the  earth 
in  this  wonderful  way. 


CHAPTER   XXIX 

''  Called,  Chosen,  Faithful  " 

•■  They  that  are  with  Him  arc  called,  chosen,  faithful." — Rev.  xvi.  1-4. 

In  Japan  he  was  much  impressed  with  the  materialism 
of  the  people.  He  felt  that  there  was  a  deep  indifference 
to  religion,  and  that  appeals  to  the  spiritual  nature 
Jftoduced  little  effect,  whilst  the  greed  of  money,  love 
of  power,  and  the  terrible  immorality  prevailing,  struck 
a  chill  of  horror  through  his  heart.  The  national  religion 
apj)earcd  to  have  little  hold  on  the  people,  and  he  saw 
temples  fuller  of  visitors  and  guides  than  of  worshippers. 
The  rush  and  hurry  of  life  distressed  him. 
A  friend  in  Yokohama  wrote  : — 

He  spoke  once  to  the  foreign  community  and  we  were  all 
struck  with  his  apt  illustrations,  and  when  he  could  be 
persuaded  to  tell  the  story  of  his  conversion,  it  impressed  us 
as  a  modern  version  of  St.  Paul's. 

Another  writer  adds  : — 

Few  could  listen  to  the  story  of  the  Sikh  lad  who  sought 
so  earnestly  after  truth  without  their  deepest  feelings  being 
stirred.  St.  Paul,  after  he  had  seen  the  heavenly  vision, 
could  not  but  testify  to  it.  *'  Now  I  not  only  know  about 
Christ  ;  I  have  seen  Him,"  says  this  Sadhu  of  the  twentieth 
century  ;  and  as  he  tells  the  story,  you  feel  with  him  the 
surprise  he  felt  when  suddenly  Christ  with  wounded  hands 
stood  before  him. 

8 


114  SADHU     SUXDAR     SIXGH 

AVliilst  from  Tokyo  came  yet  another  letter  from  a 
missionary  in  which  he  said  : — 

His  clear  putting  of  spiritual  issues  was  very  striking;.  His 
word  had  a  spiritual  authority  hchind  it.  He  was  our  guest 
here  and  afterwards  joint  guest  with  us  in  Pekin. 

The  Rev.  Takaharu  Takamatsu,  Japanese  Pastor  at 
Okasaki,  wrote  : — - 

He  inspired  many  American  missionaries  resident  in  Kyoto, 
but  the  native  ministers  were  even  more  inspired,  I  think. 

A  young  Japanese  who  is  in  the  senior  class  of  the  Third 
National  College,  Kyoto,  had  been  eoming  to  my  house 
before  the  Sadhu's  visit.  He  is  studying  natural  seienee 
and  his  mind  is  very  rationalistic.  He  was  seeking  Light 
and  could  only  see  dimly.  He  was  unable  to  be  present  at 
the  Sadhu's  meetings,  but  came  to  my  Bible  Class  when  I 
spoke  about  him.  He  was  very  quiet  and  hung  his  head. 
A  few  days  after  he  called  at  7.30  a.m.  to  see  me  on  his  way 
to  college.  His  right  hand  was  bandaged.  He  told  me  that 
the  previous  night  he  had  experienced  the  power  of  God. 

He  awoke  at  '.i.iiO  a.m.  after  a  very  vivid  dream,  in  which 
his  father  had  forced  him  to  do  something  against  his  will. 
He  arose  from  his  bed,  and  felt  within  himself  a  spiritual 
force  at  work  that  exercised  the  same  control  over  his  mind 
that  his  father's  had  physically.  He  strove  to  resist  it,  but 
the  more  he  fought  against  it  the  n)ore  he  felt  obliged  to  give 
way.  I'nconsciously  his  hands  were  clasped,  and  he  began 
to  trcinhle  violently  until  his  whole  mind  and  body  were 
hlled  with  joy  unspeakable.  He  wept  aloud  so  that  his 
friends  in  a  neighbouring  room  woke  up  and  came  in  to  see 
what  was  the  matter. 

The  young  man  preached  so  earnestly  that  he  constantly 
struck  his  right   hand  on  the  dok  until  it  was  hurt. 

When  he  told  me  this  story  I  explained  to  him  that  Christ 
was  calling  him,  and  he  must  confess  Him  and  tell  others 
of  his  experience. 

Tliat  evening,  returning  fronj  College  with  two  students, 
one  a  medical  friend  an<l  the  other  a  renegade  Christian,  he 
began  to  speak  very  earne>tly  about  the  Saviour,  when  a 
crowd  gathered  round  to  hear.  The  renegade  Christian 
listening  to  his  words  wept  out  his  rei>entanec,  and  said  that 


CALLED,     CHOSEN,     FAITHFUL  il5 

for  the  first  time  he  had  understood  Christianity  and  would 
follow  Christ.  Thus  is  the  Sadhu's  short  visit  bearing  fruit 
in  the  lives  of  our  people. 

Japanese  Christians  have  been  called  to  consider 
earnestly  such  great  nnatters  as  single-mindedness  and 
purity  of  aspiration  after  union  with  God  ;  that  prayer 
is  not  merely  asking  benefits  but  entering  into  commu- 
nion with  God  ;  and  that  full  self-surrender  to  Christ 
means  a  glad  willingness  to  do  and  suffer  His  will  even 
if  it  lead  to  the  sacrifice  of  life  itself.     One  such  says  : — 

Because  he  has  gone  all  the  way  possible  in  some  directions 
he  speaks  with  authority  as  a  messenger  from  God. 

A  Japanese  lady,  after  hearing  of  how  Sundar  found 
Christ,  exclaimed  : — 

A^dear  friend  of  mine,  deeply  dissatisfied  with  the  old 
teaching  (of  his  own  religion),  struggled  hard  to  find  light, 
but  failing  he  flung  himself  into  a  waterfall  when  he  was 
but  eighteen  years  of  age.  Alas  !  my  friend  knew  nothing 
of  Christ,  had  no  one  to  go  to  in  his  darkness  ;  the  ground 
slipped  away  from  under  his  feet,  and  so  he  ended  his  life. 

For  the  help  of  such  as  these  Sundar  Singh  went  to  Japan. 

In  China  the  Sadhu  found  the  people  still  with  a 
love  and  reverence  for  their  ancient  faiths,  and  declares 
them  capable  of  high  spiritual  development.  In  both 
Japan  and  China  he  was  amazed  to  find  how  by  reason 
of  there  being  no  caste  distinctions  as  in  India,  the 
acceptance  of  Christianity  was  made  so  much  simpler 
from  a  social  standpoint. 

A  missionary  wrote  from  Peking  : — 

In  Peking  his  coming  was  most  timely,  and  I  trust  has 
given  the  Peking  Cathedral  congregation  a  great  lift.  It 
was  good  to  see  a  Methodist  translating  for  the  Sadliu  in 
the  Cathedral.  It  was  fuller  than  it  ever  had  been'  on  a 
Sunday,  and  at  the  Monday  meeting— a  suddenly  announced 
service — the  Cathedral  was  again  full.  His  way  of  putting 
things  in  English  is  after  the  model  of  the  Gospels. 


116  SADHU     SUNDAR     SINGH 

On  the  Sunday  evening  he  preached  to  Europeans 
and  Americans  in  the  Union  Church.  From  Peking 
he  wrote  saying  he  was  in  excellent  health  and  enjoying 
the  real  cold  of  the  fine  climate. 

At  Hankow  influenza  was  raging,  but  he  was  able 
to  do  some  work.  The  son  of  the  great  missionary, 
Hiidson  T^ylnr,  jran«;latpH  for  him  into  Chinese.  He 
■fficn  passed  further  into  Shansi  Province  to  the  place 
where  in  1900  many  missionaries  were  martyred  along 
with  numbers  of  Chinese.  When  he  heard  how  bravely 
they  suffered,  and  how  even  boys  had  stood  firm  as 
they  w'atched  their  parents  done  to  death  before  they 
were  called  on  to  suffer,  his  soul  was  stirred  to  its 
profoundest  depths. 

He  arrived  unexpectedly  at  Nanking,  so  that  no 
preparations  had  been  made  for  him.  The  Rev.  J.  G. 
Magce  went  to  the  station  to  meet  a  friend,  and  finding 
the  Sadhu  there  he  took  him  home.     Mr.  Magee  says  : — 

He  preached  at  a  chapel  recently  opened,  and  the  people 
were  much  impressed  by  him  -personally,  and  by  his  striking 
message  ^vith  its  unique  illustrations.  They  are  still  talking 
about  him.  Just  to-day  a  young  Chinaman  said  to  me, 
without  my  raising  the  subject,  that  the  Church  members 
believed  in  Sundar  Singh.  He  meant  that  Sundar  Singh 
was  leading  the  Christian  life  more  fully  than  he  had  ever  seen. 

In  the  afternoon  he  spoke  to  a  group  of  new  converts, 
and  at  night  to  a  meeting  of  missionaries  on  "  Witness- 
bearing."  "  You  would  not  need  to  be  told  of  the 
effect  of  his  words  on  such  a  subject  to  such  an  audience," 
the  writer  adds. 

His  own  witness-bearing  in  those  regions  then  came 
to  an  end,  and  within  a  short  time  he  found  himself 
amongst  friends  in  Madras,  and  with  their  help  speedily 
reached  Simla.  From  there  he  went  on  to  Sabathu, 
when  he  once  more  occupied  the  room  where  fourteen 


CALLED,     CHOSEN,     FAITHFUL  117 

years  before,  after  much  prayer,  he  had  put  on  the 
sadhu  garb  and  made  his  solemn  vow  to  follow  Christ 
wherever  He  led. 

At  Kotgarh  he  was  laid  up  with  a  wounded  foot, 
and  his  journey  into  Tibet,  much  to  his  regret,  was 
delayed.  But  on  July  4  he  was  well,  and  once  more 
turned  his  back  on  civilization  and  friends,  and  started 
on  his  lonely  journey  to  the  frozen  highlands  of  his 
chosen  field  of  labour,  where  amongst  the  great  solitudes 
of  the  snow-clad  Himalayas  he  again  held  high  converse 
with  God. 

Even  those  windswept  plateaux  of  Tibet,  whose 
scanty  populations  refuse  his  message  and  drive  him 
fort^  hungering  into  the  wilderness,  provide  for  him 
those  great  experiences  about  which  he  is  so  reticent, 
but  which  prove  him  to  be  specially  called  of  God  and 
cared  for  by  Him  when  human  help  fails.  For  months 
together  the  Sadhu  has  wandered  alone  in  regions 
seldom  trodden  by  the  foot  of  man,  and  has  learnt  to 
love  the  mountain  peaks  where  he  beholds  God's  mighty 
works  and  often  hears  His  "  still  small  voice." 

Amidst  such  scenes  Sundar  Singh  has  not  only  seen 
visions,  but  has  gathered  power  for  his  ministr\'^  among 
the  multitudes  of  the  plains.  And  while  his  sensitive 
soul  turns  with  longing  to  the  wider  spaces  where  he 
can  be  alone  with  God,  he  has  walked  through  countless 
temptations  and  still  retains  through  them  all  the  unspoilt 
sweetness  and  simplicity  his  lonely  life  of  hardship  for 
Christ  has  given  him. 


CHAPTER   XXX 

Christ  Sent  Me  to  Preach  the  Gospel 

"  Christ  sent  me  ...  to  preach  the  gospel." — 1  Corinthians  i.  17. 

"  I  have  fully  preached  the  gospel  of  Christ.  Yea,  so  have  I 
strived  to  preach  the  gospel,  where  Christ  was  not  named  .  .  . 
as  it  is  written,  To  whom  He  was  not  spoken  of,  they  shall  see  ; 
and  they  that  have  not  heard  shall  understand." — Romans  xv. 
19-21. 

It  is  an  acknowledged  fact  that  some  sermons  are 
more  powerful  in  print  than  when  delivered.  The 
reverse,  however,  is  even  more  true,  for  many  really 
great  sermons  with  far-reaching  results  would  make  but 
a  poor  show  on  paper.  The  desire  has  been  expressed  in 
several  quarters  for  the  sermons  of  Sadhii  Sundar  Singh 
to  appear  in  book  form,  and  a  Tamil  edition  of  such 
a  book  has  been  published.  But  those  who  know  him 
best,  and  the  true  value  of  his  work,  feel  doubtful  as  to 
whether  such  a  book  can  possibly  do  him  justice. 

Sadhu  Sundar  Singh  is  a  good  preacher ;  he  loses 
no  time  in  figures  of  speech,  wastes  no  words  on  fine 
phrases.  He  is  direct,  clear,  concise.  Needless  to  say, 
he  is  in  dead  earnest,  and  leaves  no  single  hearer  in 
doubt  as  to  the  object  he  has  in  view.  No  hesitation  in 
delivery  or  haziness  of  expression  mars  the  effect  of 
what  he  has  to  say.  He  never  appears  without  a 
message  straight  from  God,  and  his  clear  voice  carries  that 
message  to  the  remotest  limits  of  his  audience,  however 


CHRIST  SENT  ME  TO   PREACH  THE   (iOSPEL   119 

larorc  that  audience  may  l>e.  A  tense  silence  and  strained 
attention  witness  to  the  power  with  which  he  si)eaks. 
His  calm  and  yet  hmnble  dignity  of  manner,  as  he  stands 


SADHU     SUNDAR     SINGH 


with  his  small  Urdu  Testament  in  his  clasped  hands, 
is  strangely  at  variance  with  his  impassioned  language 
and  vigour  of  delivery.     Not  for  one  moment  does  any 


120  SADHU    SUNDAR    SINGH 

dulness  creep  in  to  give  opportunity  to  heedless  hearers 
to  stare  about. 

Constantly  in  parable  or  from  actual  personal  experi- 
ence, Sadhu  Sundar  Singh  illustrates  what  he  has  to 
say,  and  always  aptly  and  strikingly.  In  lecturing  to 
non-Christians  he  contends  that  religion  is  not  a  matter 
of  argument  but  of  experience,  and  proves  very  conclu- 
sively before  he  has  done  that  this  is  so.  However  mixed 
his  audience  may  be,  none  can  go  away  without  the 
deep  impression  of  having  heard  the  truth.  Lovers  of 
Jesus  Christ  are  fortified  in  their  faith,  the  careless  are 
brought  suddenly  to  a  standstill  and  made  to  reconsider 
their  position.  Thoughtful  non- Christians  are  brought 
face  to  face  with  the  question  whether  Christ  has  any 
claim  on  them,  and  as  a  result  many  have  been  brought 
to  the  feet  of  the  Saviour. 

The  real  significance  of  the  preaching  of  the  Sadhu 
lies  in  his  triumphant  reaffirmation  of  the  eternal  things 
of  spiritual  hfe.  The  charm  of  the  message  has  brought 
new  life  to  many  Christians  who  before  his  coming  had 
scarcely  felt  the  vital  power  of  Christ  in  their  own  lives, 
and  to  whom  religion  was  more  or  less  a  lifeless  thing. 
For  many  of  these  the  first  flush  of  zeal  and  devotion 
for  Christ  had  passed  away,  and  the  pressure  of  the 
world  had  blurred  the  heavenly  vision. 

But  Sadhu  Sundar  Singh,  coming  fresh  from  the 
continual  communion  he  holds  with  his  Lord,  stands 
amongst  men  in  his  Sadhu's  robes,  filled  with  a  message 
so  persuasive,  so  insistent,  so  attractive,  that  once  again 
is  felt  the  power  and  the  sweetness  of  a  Saviour  wellnigh 
forgotten.  He  draws  his  life  x  from  God's  unfailing 
springs  of  joy,  and  communicates  something  of  that  joy 
to  those  who  see  and  hear  him,  until  they  too  are  fired 
with  desire  to  drink  at  the  same  fountain  and  share  the 
same  bliss. 


CHRIST  SENT  ME  TO  PREACH  THE  GOSPEL   121 

His  message  to  Christians  is  strong  and  impressive. 
It  is  urgent  and  compelling,  pointing  to  higher  and 
nobler  ideals  of  living,  which  his  hearers  must  heed  or 
be  left  worse  off  than  before  he  came. 
I  In  preaching  to  non-Christians  he  never  attacks 
their  religion  or  uses  unbrotherly  terms  of  reproach. 
But  he  fearlessly  testifies  to  his  own  failure  after  long 
and  painful  search  to  find  peace,  joy,  and  satisfaction, 
apart  from  God's  great  revelation  in  Jesus  Christ. 
Neither  argument  nor  philosophy,  but  the  inspiration 
which  comes  from  the  simple  yet  powerful  testimony  to 
the  power  of  God  to  redeem  from  sin,  is  his  method  of 
drawing  npn-Christians  to  the  feet  of  Christ.   | 

The  ^dhu  j^oes  back  to  foundation  thinprs  :    God's  \ 
love  ;   Christ's  witness  in  life  and  death  to  that  love  ;   the  \ 
unfailing  power  of  that  love  to  save  all  who  accept  it ;     I 
and    supremely   Christ   and   His    cross   are   his    theme,      l 
He   speaks   of  One   he  intimately  knows ;     One   whose     I 
power  he  has  never  ceased  to  experience  from  the  hour     I 
when  that  One  appeared  to  him  as  a  boy ;    One  who  is    / 
his  companion  day  and  night,  and  for  whom  he  has  given    / 
up  everything  that  life  can  offer.     His  hearers  are  con-  / 
scious  that  before  them  stands  a  man  who  is  living/ 
Christ  as  well  as  preaching  Him.  » 

Sadhu  Sundar  Singh's  own  personality  carries  weight 
with  his  message.  At  one  of  his  early  meetings  in  the 
South,  when  his  address  was  over,  he  sat  down  before 
the  translation  was  completed,  and  it  then  became  most 
difficult  for  the  good  translator  to  keep  the  attention 
of  the  audience  to  the  end.  At  later  meetings  he  remained 
standing  until  the  translation  was  finished,  when  not 
an  eye  was  turned  away  for  a  moment.  It  is  himself 
and  his  message  combined  that  is  powerful  to  influence 
those  who  receive  that  message  from  his  lips. 


122  SADHl'     SrXDAR     SIXGH 

The  writer  of  Ecce  Homo  says  : — 

The  first  step  towards  a  good  disposition  is  for  a  man  to 
form  a  strong  personal  attachment.  Let  tlte  object  of  that 
attachment  be  a  person  of  striking  and  conspicuous  goodness. 
He  will  ever  have  before  his  eyes  an  ideal  of  what  he  himself 
may  become.     Example  is  a  personal  influence. 

The  Sadhii  wherever  he  goes  is  able  to  awaken  this 
feeling  of  strong  personal  attachment,  and  this  power  he 
uses  entirely  to  draw  men  to  Christ.  The  crowds  that 
constantly  linger  round  that  they  may  catch  sight  of 
him,  and  the  honourable  titles  often  accorded  him 
volimtarily  in  places  where  he  goes  (such  as  Mahatma 
and  Swami,  indicating  a  partaker  of  the  Divine  nature), 
witness  to  this  spirit  of  personal  devotion.  Devout 
Christians  realize  that  if  the  Sadhu  can  awaken  such 
feelings,  how  much  greater  loyalty  and  devotion  may 
spring  from  the  appeal  of  Jesus  Christ  Himself.  And 
thus  by  his  personality  he  leads  men  upwards  to  the 
one  source  of  spiritual  life. 

Many  young  men  in  the  South  have  desired  to  become 
his  disciples  ;  but  the  advice  of  the  Sadhu  to  all  such 
is  that  they  should  serve  God  where  they  are  and  amongst 
those  around  them. 

'  His  chief  work,  the  work  he  recognizes  as  that  specially 
given  him  by  God,  lies  beyond  the  limit  of  ordinary 
churches,  amongst  those  inaccessible  to  their  influence 
and  suasion.  "  To  the  churches  he  comes  to  impart  a 
deeper  glow  and  sterner  purpose,  but  he  passes  on  his 
way  without  tabulating  results,  only  leaving  behind 
a  burning  message  and  an  inspiring  memory.  His 
simplicity  is  a  rebuke  to  all  selfish  love  of  the  world,  and 
his  presentation  of  Christianity  is  calculated  to  correct 
the  erroneous  idea  that  it  is  only  a  religion  suited  to 
westerners  in  which  India  can  have  no  share." 

In   Tibet,   amidst   a   hostile   people   and   in    constant 


CHRIST  SENT  ME  TO  PREACH  THE  COSPEL  123 

danger,  this  humble  servant  of  Christ  is  carrying  **  the 
message  which  is  the  heart  of  his  own  Hfe.''  Alone,  in 
cold  and  hunger,  without  a  place  to  lay  his  head,  but 
filled  with  an  absorbing  passion  for  his  Master  and  for 
the  souls  '*  sitting  in  darkness  and  in  the  shadow  of 
death,"  Sundar  Singh  toils  over  the  snow-strewn  wastes. 
That,  solitary  figure  does  not  pass  from  His  sight  as  it 
does  from  ours,  for  assuredly  Christ  walks  beside  him, 
works  and  suffers  with  him. 

From  those  lonely  heights  comes  back  the  echo  of 
his  own  words,  "  How  ashamed  we  shall  be  when  we 
meet  in  the  presence  of  God  and  before  saints  and 
martyrs,  if  we  do  not  live  real  Christian  lives  here  !  " 
These  are  not  new  words,  but  as  Mr.  Stokes  once  said, 
"  When  they  come  from  the  lips  of  one  who  has  long 
suffered  hunger,  cold,  imprisonment,  and  persecution  for 
his  Master,  they  fall  upon  our  cars  with  an  awful 
authority  and  power." 

O  God,  O  kinsman  loved,  but  not  enough  ! 

O  Man,  with  eyes  majestic  after  death. 
Whose  feet  have  toiled  along  our  pathways  rough, 

Whose  lips  drawn  human  breath  ! 

Come,  lest  this  heart  should,  cold  and  cast  away, 
Die,  ere  the  guest  adored  she  entertain — 

Lest  eyes  which  never  saw  Thine  earthly  day 
Should  miss  Thy  heavenly  reign. 


THE    MESSAGE    OF    THIS    BOOK. 

This  little  book  lays  no  claim  to  being  a  life  of  Sadhu 
Sundar  Singh,  or  even  a  record  of  his  labours.  It 
attempts  to  lay  bare  the  secret  of  the  singularly  beautiful 
character  of  a  deeply  religious  soul,  and  seeks  to  extend 
as  well  as  to  keep  in  mind  the  magnetic  influence  of  a 
wholly  consecrated  life. 

If  in  any  measure  it  shows  how  one  good  man  in 
preaching  and  living  Christ  so  presents  Him  to  the  world 
as  to  "  draw  all  men  unto  Him,"  and  if  other  hearts  are 
stirred  to  a  deeper  devotion  to  Christ  and  so  catch  some- 
thing of  the  Sadhu's  spirit,  its  purpose  will  be  served. 

It  is  a  great  joy  to  render  this  small  tribute  to  the 
amazing  power  of  Sadhu  Sundar  Singh  to  turn  men  to 
Christ,  and  it  is  offered  to  the  reader  by  one  who  has 
experienced  that  power,  in  the  hope  and  with  the  prayer 
that  its  message  may  be  blessed  of  God  to  all  who  will 
receive  it. 

R.  J.  P. 

JESUS    SAID 
"  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  .  .  .  will  draw  all  men  unto  Myself." 


APPENDICES 

I.  The  Sadhu  and  his  Father 


Sirdar  Sher  Singh  made  various  attempts  from  time 
to  time  to  win  back  his  son,  and  the  Urdu  letter  on  the 
next  page  is  one  of  them.  In  it  he  urged  that  Sundar 
should  marry.  *'  I  do  not  want  to  ask  you  what  you 
think,  but  I  order  you  to  get  married  immediately. 
Can  you  not  serve  your  guru,  Christ,  in  a  married  state  ? 
.  .  .  Does  the  Christian  religion  teach  disobedience  to 
parents  ?  "  He  then  goes  on  to  say  he  will  leave  large 
sums  of  money  to  Sundar  if  only  he  will  carry  on  the 
family  name,  and  also  chides  him  for  living  in  poverty 
and  dressing  so  poorly. 

In  his  reply  Sundar  respectfully  reminds  his  father 
of  the  definite  call  he  has  had  to  live  the  true  sadhu  life 
in  which  marriage  is  impossible,  and  that  when  .he 
became  a  Christian  he  gave  up  all  thought  of  earthly 
wealth,  adding,  "  You  are  wise  and  experienced  and  can 
do  as  seems  best ;  as  for  me,  having  once  put  my  hand 
to  the  plough  I  will  not  look  back." 

After  fourteen  years  of  unswerving,  loyalty  to  Christ 
Sadhu's  many  prayers  were  gloriously  answered  when  he 
visited  his  old  home  in  October,  1919.  His  aged  father 
welcomed  him  with  joy,  and  during  the  few  days  they 
were  together  Sundar  had  the  great  happiness  of  hearing 
that  his  father  had  at  last  given  his  heart  to  the  Saviour 


^\^  '^ 


:\ 


"^c^ 


3 


^ 


s 


— A^    V  *^<s  '^^  jT 


FACSIMILE   OF   SIRDAR   SHER   SINGH'S   LETTER    TO    HIS   SON. 


APPENDICES 


127 


who  had  so  transformed  his  son.  Sirdar  Sher  Singh 
earnestly  desired  baptism  at  his  son's  hands,  but,  behev- 
ing  that  Christ  had  sent  him  not  to  baptize,  and  in  view 
of  the  fact  that  thousands  throughout  India  have  been 
refused  the  same  favour,  Sadhu  felt  that  he  could  not 
accede  to  this  most  natural  request. 

It  is  a  touching  testimony  to  this  happy  reunion  that 
Sirdar  Sher  Singh  has  made  provision  for  his  son  to  go 
on  a  great  preaching  tour  to  the  West,  and  by  the  time 
this  book  is  in  the  hands  of  English  readers,  Sadhu 
Sundar  Singh  will  be  labouring  in  their  midst. 


II.  Travelling  in  Tibet 

Upon  his  tetiirn  from  Tibet  last  autumn  the  Sadhu  wrote 
the  following  accoimt  of  his  journey  : — 

In  the  beginning   of  July,  1919,  I    left   Kotgarh   for 
Tibet  in  company  with  a  Christian  whose  Tibetan  name 
is  Thaniyat.     The  Tibetan  frontier  is  nearly  130  miles 
beyond    Kotgarh,    and    preaching    in    Hirath,    Rempur, 
Bushaher,    Goura,    Sachan,    Chaura,    Tranda,    Pounta, 
Hachar,  Kodgaon,  Karcha,  and  Kempheran,  we  arrived 
at  Yangpa,  which  is  the  first  town  of  Tibet.     From  here 
for  forty  miles  the  country  is  entirely  jungle  and  there 
is  not  a  single  village  or  dwelling-place,  only  here  and 
there   a   flock   of  sheep  and   shepherd   come   into   view. 
We  remained  in  this  wilderness  five  nights  ;    one  night 
we  spent  luider  a  tree  and  another  night  in  a  cave  ;    for 
from  now  onwards  for  a  long  distance  there  arc  no  trees 
because  of  the  extreme  cold  and  great  height,  so  that 
scarcely  a  blade  of  grass  springs  up  anywhere.     As  far 
as  the  eye  can  reach  there  is  nothing  but  bare  mountains 
and  plateaux. 


The  Cold  of  the  Mountains 

At  a  height  of  16,000  feet  we  slept  out  on  the  open 
plain  when  the  cold  was  so  intense  that  all  feeling  went 
out  of  the  body  and  we  became  numb  all  over.  The 
whole  of  one  night  the  rain  fell  in  torrents,  and  in  the 
bitter  cold  we  had   to  sit  aU  night  under  an  umbrella. 


APPENDICES  129 

This  place  is  a  very  dangerous  one,  for  many  people 
have  died  there  in  the  snow. 

On  July  15  we  came  to  Hangpu  La  Pass  which  is 
nearly  19,000  feet  high,  where  we  saw  the  corpses  of 
three  men  who  had  died  from  the  terrific  cold.  At  this 
great  height  we  could  scarcely  draw  our  breath,  our 
heads  and  lungs  were  filled  with  pain,  and  the  beating  of 
our  hearts  sounded  in  our  ears.  Here  is  a  great  glacier 
on  which  many  people  have  lost  their  lives,  and  their 
bodies  have  never  been  recovered  to  this  day.  Thanks 
be  to  God  we  passed  through  this  awful  place  in  safety. 

On  July  16  we  arrived  at  a  Tibetan  village  called  Mudh, 
where  the  headman  received  us  into  his  house  kindly, 
and  that  night  he  invited  an  important  Lama  to  dine 
with  us,  who  understood  Hindustani,  and  we  preached 
the  Word.  He  listened  with  great  attention  and 
pleasure  and  did  not  prevent  others  from  hearing  also. 
The  next  day  we  went  on  to  Taling  and  Sangnam  and 
again  from  there  to  Inamb,  Kveling,  Kuring,  and  Saling, 
and  still  further  on  to  Sideng,  Sara,  Koze,  and  Rangrig, 
and  preached  in  every  place  we  passed  through. 

We  then  came  to  Koo  Gunra,  where  there  is  a  large 
temple.  In  the  building  connected  with  it  some  400 
Lamas  reside,  the  Head  Lama  having  been  sent  direct 
from  Lhasa.  This  Head  Lama  is  connected  with  Lhasa 
and  was  appointed  through  the  Lama  Tashi.  With  him 
we  remained  two  days  and  he  gave  us  little  trouble, 
although  he  was  very  keen  on  discussing  religion  with  us. 

In  Perils  of  Rivers 

In  Tibet  there  are  not  only  one  but  many  kinds  of 
hardships  and  difficulties.  There  are  no  roads,  and 
although  there  are  many  streams  and  rivers  there  are  no 
bridges  to  cross  them,  and  the  water  is  always  as  cold 

9 


130  APPENDICES 

as  ice.  Wherever  the  water  was  shallow  enough  we 
were  able  to  swim  across,  but  sometimes  the  current 
was  so  strong  and  the  river  bed  so  full  of  rocks  that 
swimming  became  impossible.  One  day  in  swimming 
across  the  river  Morang  I  reached  the  other  bank  with 
great  difficulty,  for  the  water  was  so  intensely  cold  that 
my  whole  body  became  stiff  and  numb.  At  Thaniyat  I 
fell  and  went  under  the  water  three  times  and  with  great 
straining  and  difficulty  I  got  out  of  that  river,  a  river  in 
which  many  men  have  sunk  never  to  rise  again. 

Food  is  another  difficult  problem  in  Tibet.  There  is 
nothing  to  eat  and  drink  in  most  places  except  campa 
or  sattu  (fried  barley  flour)  and  a  kind  of  tea  which  is 
mixed  with  salt  and  butter.  Again  and  again  the  fried 
barley  was  so  bad  that  even  horses  and  asses  would  not 
eat  it.  In  all  these  difficulties  there  was  this  great 
comfort,  that  this  was  the  cross  of  Christ,  and  was  neces- 
sary for  the  salvation  of  souls.  For  me  Christ  forsook 
heaven  and  took  upon  Himself  the  burden  of  the  Cross, 
so  that  if  I  have  left  India  to  come  into  Tibet  on  His 
behalf  to  claim  souls  for  Him,  it  is  not  a  great  thing  to 
do  ;  but  if  I  had  not  come  it  would  have  been  a  dreadful 
thing,  for  this  is  a  divine  command. 

The  Sin  of  Washing  Clothes 

Tibetan  houses  are  very  small  and  exceedingly  dirty. 
They  are  built  of  stones  and  mud,  and  the  smell  of  the 
people  is  unbearable.  In  the  village  of  Lara  I  saw  a  man 
who  was  quite  black  with  dirt,  and  I  think  he  could  not 
have  had  a  bath  for  fifteen  years  at  least.  The  people's 
clothes,  although  made  of  white  wool,  from  filth  look  as 
if  they  were  made  of  black  leather,  because  they  never 
wash  their  clothes.  In  the  village  of  Kiwar  we  washed 
our  clothes   in   a   stream  and   everybody  came  to   see. 


APPENDICES  131 

They  were  struck  with  amazement  that  we  should  be 
doing  such  a  thing.  An  important  Lama  said,  "  It  is 
all  right  for  sinful  men  to  wash  their  clothes,  but  for 
good  people  to  do  so  is  very  bad." 

Although  there  has  been  much  difficulty  in  this  journey, 
yet  it  has  been  less  than  at  other  times.  The  Lamas 
in  some  places  received  us  well  and  gave  us  salted  tea 
and  fried  barley  flour  to  eat.  One  day  they  saw  that  I 
was  imcomfortable  because  my  hair  had  grown  very 
long.  Having  no  scissors  to  cut  it,  four  Lamas  came 
along  bringing  with  them  an  instrument  v/ith  which  they 
are  accustomed  to  shear  the  sheep,  and  with  this  they 
cut  my  hair. 

In  Perils  of  Robbers 

From  Kiwar  we  went  to  Ghikan  and  then  on  to  Skitc, 
Hause,  Sasar,  and  Pangre,  and  had  fine  opportunities 
for  preaching,  but  there  were  very  few  dwelling-places, 
and  great  fear  of  many  thieves  and  robbers.  One  good 
man  said,  "  You  cannot  go  without  a  gun  or  sword 
through  this  place,  because  many  men  have  been  killed 
here."  I  replied,  "  I  have  only  a  blanket  and  this 
Bible — the  sword  of  God — and  the  Lord  of  Life  is  with 
me  ;  He  will  save  me."  Therefore,  thanks  be  to  Him 
we  went  through  that  dreadful  place  preaching  amongst 
murderers  and  doing  His  work,  yet  not  a  single  thing 
happened  to  give  us  trouble  of  any  kind.  In  this  place 
were  men  whose  legs  or  arms  had  been  cut  off  by  murderers 
and  thieves,  but  God  with  great  might  brought  us  safely 
through. 

Tibetan  Religious  Practices 

Although  Tibetans  are  horribly  dirty  and  often  stupidly 
ignorant  they  are  also  very  religious.     In  some  districts 


132  APPENDICES 

the  custom  is  for  the  eldest  son  to  remain  at  home  to 
look  after  the  property,  and  all  the  remaining  sons 
become  Lamas  or  priests.  Many  people  write  upon 
paper  or  cloth,  texts  from  their  sacred  books  (of  which 
there  are  108  volumes  called  Khangiryur  tangiryur)  and 
hang  them  as  flags  above  the  roofs  of  their  houses.  Also 
they  write  the  sacred  words  OM  MANE  PADME  HUM 
many  times  on  paper,  and  place  the  roll  inside  a  brass 
wheel  which  they  continually  turn  round  and  round. 
Some  fasten  them  on  watermills,  sometimes  writing  them 
on  stones  which  they  place  in  a  heap  and  go  round  them. 
These,  as  it  were,  are  their  prayers,  by  which  they  believe 
they  will  gain  forgiveness  of  sins  and  obtain  blessing. 

Concerning  the  true  God  these  people  know  nothing, 
but  in  their  religion  they  have  a  kind  of  Trinity  which 
is  called  Sangi  Kunchek,  or  Buddha  God  ;  Lama  Kunchek, 
or  Priest  God ;  and  Ghho  Kunchek,  or  Scripture  God. 
Buddhism  entered  Tibet  about  a.d.  629  in  the  time  of 
King  Shang  Taing  Suganpo,  and  Lamaism  was  founded 
in  A.D.  749  by  Padmasambhave,  who  started  the  first 
monastery  near  Lhasa. 

In  the  year  a.d.  1640  a  Mongolian  prince,  Gusari  Khan, 
conquered  Tibet  and  made  a  present  to  the  Grand  Lama 
of  Drepung  Monastery  with  the  title  of  Dalai  or  Ocean 
who  thus  became  the  first  King-Priest  and  is  known  as 
the  Dalai  Lama.  His  name  was  Magwan  Lobang. 
Being  very  ambitious  and  w^anting  to  combine  the  rule 
of  the  State  with  the  Church,  he  declared  himself  an 
incarnation  of  the  famous  Chenrezing  Avalokitesvara, 
the  tutelary  deity  of  Tibet.  The  Tibetans  were  no 
doubt  delighted  to  have  as  ruler  an  incarnation  of  such 
a  divinity,  and  the  scheme  worked  well,  but  in  order  not 
to  offend  the  older,  and  in  one  sense  superior.  Lama  of 
Troshi  Shimipo,  he  declared  this  Lama  an  incarnation  of 
Amitabha.     Thus     Dalai     Lama     declared     himself    an 


APPENDICES  133 

incarnation  of  Avalokitesvara,  while  the  Tashi  Lama  is 
an  incarnation  of  a  higher  deity,  yet  it  is  an  impassive 
deity  who  cannot  meddle  with  worldly  affairs  which  are 
left  to  his  spiritual  son  Avalokitesvara,  represented  by 
the  Dalai  Lama  of  Tibet. 

The  Hermits  of  Tibet  \ 

The  lives  of  many  Tibetan  hermits  are  very  wonderful. 
They  shut  themselves  in  a  dark  room.  Some  do  this 
for  months,  and  some  for  years,  and  some  for  the  whole 
of  life.  They  are  so  shut  away  that  they  never  see  the 
sun  and  never  come  out  of  doors,  but  always  sitting 
in  the  dark  they  continue  turning  a  prayer-wheel  in 
their  hand  just  as  if  they  were  living  in  a  grave.  In 
these  small  rooms  is  a  tiny  window  or  hole  through  which 
the  people  pass  food  to  these  hermits.  'I  tried  to  get 
into  conversation  with  them,  but  never  had  a  proper 
opportunity,  and  all  I  could  do  was  to  throw  some 
Scripture  portion  through  the  hole  in  the  hope  they^ 
might  read  it  if  ever  they  came  out. 

This  lesson  I  learnt  from  them  :  that  if  these  peopli 
will  endure  such  suffering  in  order  to  attain  Nirvana,^ 
in  which  there  is  no  future  life  or  heavenly  happiness 
nor  any  hope,  believing  that  salvation  lies  in  exterminating 
desire  and  spirit  and  life,  how  much  more  shall  we  not 
take  up  the  cross  with  joy  for  Christ — the  joy  of  our 
entrance  into  eternal  life  and  of  His  great  service  who 
has  given  and  will  give  us  all  things  ? 

In  this  country,  because  of  the  snow  and  intense  cold, 
there  is  only  one  harvest  in  the  year,  which  is  sown  in 
May  and  reaped  in  September.  In  some  places  wheat, 
and  in  others  mustard,  are  sown.  Some  of  the  jungly 
country  is  beautiful  with  flowers  ;  wild  onions  and  even 
gram  are  sometimes  seen.     But  alas  !    all  sorts  of  evil 


134  APPENDICES 

customs    and    horrible    wickedness    prevail,    the    very 
mention  of  which  is  impossible  here. 


In  Jourxeyings  Often 

We  went  to  a  number  of  other  places  and  worked 
amongst  the  people,  returning  by  another  way  through 
Kyamo,  Hal,  Maling,  Khurik,  Sumling,  Phiti,  and  Boldar. 
My  desire  was  to  go  alone  to  Kailash  and  Rasar,  but 
this  year  my  journey  to  Tibet  was  greatly  delayed. 
Between  July  30  and  August  9  on  that  side  the  mountains 
become  thickly  covered  with  snow,  and  there  are  many 
rivers  and  streams,  although  some  rivers  have  bridges 
of  ice  stretching  across  them.  But  there  are  many 
rivers  which  have  no  bridges  at  all  and  they  are  too 
dangerous  for  swimming,  so  that  it  seemed  as  if  every 
way  was  closed,  and  there  was  no  choice  but  to  return. 
May  God  grant  that  in  the  coming  April  I  may  journey 
to  every  place.  If  I  had  remained  until  September  the 
heavy  snows  would  have  effectually  barred  my  return, 
and  by  October  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  reach 
India. 


The  Firstfruit  of  Coming  Harvest 

This  time  I  went  forty-eight  stages  into  Tibet,  each 
day  being  about  ten  miles.  I  should  like  to  tell  of  every 
place  I  visited,  but  there  is  no  time  for  more  than  this 
brief  account.  Those  Christians  who  live  in  Tibet  itself 
and  on  the  borders,  are  by  God's  grace  well  as  far  as  I 
am  able  to  find  out.  There  is  a  boy  in  Tsering  who 
knows  Hindustani  well  and  was  very  desirous  of  return- 
ing to  India,  with  me  but  his  mother  prevented  him. 
I  trust  another  year  he  will  come  with  me,  and  having 


APPENDICES 


135 


received  further  training  may  become  a  good  preacher 
amongst  his  own  people  in  Tibet,  so  that  the  seed  of 
GJod's  Word  which  has  been  sown  on  this  journey  by 
His  grace  may  spring  up  and  in  His  own  time  bear  much 
fruit.     Amen. 

SuNDAR  Singh. 


HI.  Tibet  and  the  Great  War 

Whilst  the  first  edition  of  this  book  was  going  through 
the  press  EngUsh  papers  piibhshed  the  following  : — 

"  Tibet,  the  most  solitary  of  the  hermit  nations,  has 
come  forward  with  an  offer  of  a  hundred  thousand  men 
to  help  fight  the  battles  of  democracy  on  the  European 
front.  Our  awed  imaginations  have  lingered  over  the 
impossible  terrors  of  the  road  to  Lhasa,  forbidden  on 
pain  of  death  to  outsiders.  The  barred  doors  swing  wide 
on  rusty  hinges,  and  the  Grand  Lama,  most  secluded 
of  the  world's  monarchs,  steps  into  the  fast-running 
currents  of  twentieth  century  history  as  the  friend  and 
defender  of  democracy." 

The  natural  prayer  of  the  Christian  is  that  this  closed 
land  may  now  open  its  doors  to  the  Gospel,  and  that 
Sadhu  Sundar  Singh  may  "  see  of  the  travail  of  his 
soul  "  in  bringing  Tibet  to  the  feet  of  Christ. 


IV.  The  Sikhs 


The  Sikh  States  lie  in  the  Punjab,  roughly  speaking 
between  the  rivers  Ganges  and  Indus,  and  are  bounded 
on  the  north  by  the  mountainous  region  that  separates 
them  from  Tibet  and  the  Chinese  Em.pire.  The  two 
capitals  are  Amritsar  and  Lahore. 

Nanak  was  the  first  of  the  Gurus  or  Teachers  of  the 
Sikhs.  He  was  born  at  Rayapur  in  1469.  From  child- 
hood he  was  inclined  to  devotion  and  indifferent  to 
worldly  concerns.  His  father  sought  to  divert  his  mind 
from  religious  things,  and  on  one  occasion  sent  him  to 
transact  some  business  for  him,  which  was  to  result  in 
financial  profit.  On  the  way  Nanak  met  some  hungry 
fakirs,  and  divided  his  father's  money  between  them, 
observing,  "  The  gain  of  this  world  is  transient.  I  wish 
to  relieve  these  poor  men  and  thus  obtain  that  gain  which 
is  eternal."  After  partaking  of  food  the  fakirs  entered 
into  a  long  discourse  upon  the  unity  of  God,  with  which 
Nanak  was  greatly  delighted.  Returning  to  his  home, 
his  father  asked  what  profit  he  had  brought,  and  receiv- 
ing the  reply  that  he  had  fed  the  poor,  his  father  abused 
and  even  struck  him.  Rai  Bolar,  the  ruler  of  the  district, 
hearing  of  this,  interdicted  Nanak's  father  from  ever 
again  treating  him  in  this  way,  and  he  himself  humbly 
bowed  in  veneration  belure  Nanak. 

Nanak  then,  adopting  the  saffron  robe,  began  to 
practise  the  austerities  of  a  holy  man,  and  soon  became 


138  APPENDICES 

celebrated  for  the  goodness  of  his  life  and  charaeter. 
He  travelled  to  many  Hindu  holy  places,  and  even  to 
Mecca  itself,  in  order  to  purify  the  worship  of  both 
Hindus  and  Muhammadans.  Wherever  he  journeyed,  he 
preached  the  doctrine  of  the  unity  and  omnipresence 
of  God.  Born  in  a  province  where  these  two  races  were 
utterly  opposed  to  each  other,  he  yet  strove  to  blend 
them  in  one  harmonious  peace,  and  to  bring  them  back 
to  a  simple  and  pure  religion. 

Nanak  taught  that  devotion  was  due  to  one  God, 
aiKl  idol  worship  must  be  banished,  his  object  being  to 
reform,  not  to  destroy,  existing  religions.  Before  his 
death  his  followers  had  become  a  distinct  sect,  and  were 
known  as  "  Sikhs,"  which  means  Disciples.  In  all  his 
writing  Nanak  borrowed  indiscriminately  from  the 
Shastras  and  Qur'an.  Many  of  the  chapters  of  the  Adi 
Granth  were  written  by  Nanak  and  were  in  verse. 
Nanak  desired  to  abolish  all  caste  distinctions,  and  place 
all  men  on  an  equality.  He  also  declared  that  the  most 
acceptable  offerings  to  God  are  morning  praise  and  the 
presentation  of  the  body  to  him. 

After  the  death  of  Nanak  other  leaders  followed  to 
the  number  of  ten,  the  two  most  famous  of  these  being 
Arjun  and  Govind  Singh.  A  bitter  persecution  of  the 
new  sect  by  Muhammadans  converted  a  harmless  reli- 
gious people  into  a  great  military  commonwealth, 
determined  to  avenge  the  sufferings  they  had  endured. 
The  martyrdom  of  their  pontiff  Arjun  turned  a  hitherto 
inoffensive  sect  into  a  band  of  fanatical  warriors.  Har 
Govind,  one  of  their  leaders  at  the  time,  gave  to  all  his 
followers  the  honourable  name  of  "  Singh  "  (Lion),  and 
the  order  that  no  Singh  should  allow  his  hair  to  be  cut 
was  issued  at  the  same  time. 

Govind  Singh,  the  tenth  and  last  of  the  great  Sikh 
leaders  or  pontiffs,  wrote  a  large  part  of  the  tenth  book 


APPENDICES 


139 


of  the  Granth,  and  held  a  place  in  the  esteem  of  his 
followers  at  least  equal  to  Nanak  himself.  Under 
Govind  Singh  the  Sikhs  assumed  the  character  and  rank 
of  a  military  nation.  Before  his  death  he  made  the 
])romise  that  whenever  five  Sikhs  should  meet  together 
he  would  be  present  amongst  them. 

The  temples  of  the  Sikhs  are  generally  ])lain  build- 
ings with  a  flat  roof  and  sufiiciently  large  to  hold  a 
number  of  worshippers,  who  stand  during  service.  The 
forms  of  prayer  and  praise  are  simple.  Portions  of  the 
Granth  are  read  or  smig,  and  the  priest  exhorts  the 
people  to  "  meditate  on  the  Book."  Daily  worship  is 
performed  by  pious  Sikhs  and  portions  of  their  scriptures 
are  read.  Sikhs  beheve  that  they  were  placed  by  their 
last  and  most  revered  pontiff  Govind  under  the  peculiar 
care  of  God. 


;^WWj 


V.  Some  of  the  Sadhu's  Illustrations 


The  Sadhu's  addresses  go  to  the  root  of  fundamental 
things  such  as  repentance,  faith,  sacrifice.  Almost 
every  point  is  illustrated  by  some  parable  from  nature 
or  some  actual  experience.     The  following  are  examples  : 

Humility. — A  poor  Indian  of  the  sweeper  caste  became 
a  Christian,  and  a  high  caste  man  who  knew  him  was 
much  struck  by  the  great  change  in  him.  "  You  used  to 
come  and  sweep  my  house  ;  you  had  no  education,  and 
yet  I  cannot  help  honouring  you.  What  has  changed 
you  ?  " 

The  sweeper  tried  to  explain  the  new  life  that  had 
come  to  him,  but  still  the  high  caste  man  did  not  under- 
stand. Especially  he  wondered  at  one  thing :  "  You 
are  so  good,  and  yet  you  are  not  proud  !  " 

"  Why  should  I  be  proud  ?  "  asked  the  sweeper. 
"  When  Christ  rode  an  ass  into  Jerusalem,  people  brought 
clothes  and  laid  them  upon  the  road.  Yet  the  feet  of 
our  Lord  did  not  tread  on  them,  only  the  ass  walked 
over  them.  Who  ever  heard  of  such  honour  being  done 
to  the  feet  of  an  ass  ?  It  was  onlv  because  the  ass 
carried  Christ.  V  nen  He  had  done  riding  the  ass,  the 
beast  was  of  no  account.  So  I  am  of  no  account,  only 
I  am  as  it  were  bearing  Christ,  and  it  is  Him  you  honour. 
If  He  left  me  I  should  be  nothing  at  all." 

Union  with  and  Life  in  God. — From  our  own  experience 
we  do  become  imited  with  God,  yet  we  do  not  become 


APPENDICES  141 

God.  If  a  piece  of  cold  iron  is  placed  in  a  hot  fire  it  will 
glow  because  the  fire  is  in  it.  Yet  we  cannot  say  that 
the  iron  is  fire  or  the  fire  is  iron.  So  in  Jesus  Christ 
we  retain  our  identity ;  He  in  us  and  we  in  Him,  but 
with  our  own  individuality. 

Again  we  breathe  air,  yet  man  is  not  air  nor  is  the 
air  man.  So  we  breathe  by  prayer  the  Holy  Spirit  of 
God,  but  we  are  not  God.  Some  time  ago  I  saw  two 
villages  in  the  Himalayas  that  were  separated  by  an 
impassable  mountain.  The  direct  distance  between  the 
two  was  not  great,  but  the  journey  round  took  travellers 
a  week  to  accomplish.  A  man  in  one  of  the  villages 
determined  to  make  a  tunnel  through  this  mountain, 
declaring  he  would  give  his  life  to  do  it  if  necessary.  He 
started  on  the  work,  and  in  the  attempt  he  did  actually 
lose  his  fife.  When  I  heard  of  it  I  thought  this  mountain 
was  like  the  wall  of  our  sin  keeping  us  away  from  God. 
Jesus  Christ  came  and  made  a  Living  Way  by  giving 
His  life.  He  gave  His  life  of  His  own  will,  and  the  way 
is  open  to  all  who  unreservedly  accept  Him  as  their 
Saviour. 

The  Better  Part. — Once  when  I  was  crossing  the 
mountains  I  met  a  girl.  She  was  of  good  family  and 
was  on  pilgrimage,  and  her  bare  feet  were  bleeding. 
In  answer  to  my  question  she  said,  "  I  am  looking  for 
rest  and  peace,  and  I  hope  to  get  them  before  I  get  to 
the  end  of  this  pilgrimage.  If  I  do  not  I  shall  drown 
myself."  I  saw  she  was  in  earnest.  I  thought  how 
strange  it  is  that  people  who  are  born  Christians  and 
have  these  great  gifts  without  taking  all  this  trouble 
should  care  so  little  for  them,  while  this  wealthy  girl 
had  given  up  her  home  and  all  she  cared  most  for  to  seek 
salvation.  She  did  not  find  peace  on  that  pilgrimage, 
but  she  met  a  missionary  who  told  her  about  Christ.  I 
saw  her  afterwards  and  she  told  me  that  she  had  found 


142  APPENDICES 

all  and  more  than  she  had  sought,  adding,  "  Men  may 
kill  me  if  they  like.  I  have  found  that  better  part 
that  shall  never  be  taken  away  from  me." 

Ye  are  the  Light  of  the  World. — The  wiek  of  a  lamp 
must  burn  and  lose  itself  in  order  that  the  light  may 
shine.  The  wick  is  between  the  oil  and  the  flame. 
There  may  be  plenty  of  oil,  but  if  there  be  no  wick  there 
can  be  no  light.  So  to  give  light  to  others  we  must  be 
ready  to  sacrifice  ourselves. 

Ye  are  tlie  Salt  of  the  Earth. — If  salt  is  to  be  of  use 
it  must  be  dissolved.  So  long  as  it  remains  in  a  dry 
lump  it  cannot  give  flavour  to  our  food,  but  when  it  is 
dissolved  every  grain  of  rice  has  its  proper  taste  and 
the  food  is  good.  So  with  individual  Christians  ;  they 
must  always  be  giving  of  themselves.  They  may  seem 
to  disappear  and  be  lost,  but  that  is  not  actually  the 
case.  They  live  in  the  lives  of  those  for  whom  they  have 
given  themselves,  and  their  influence  remains. 

Safe  in  Christ. — We  are  small,  the  attraction  of  the 
earth  is  great.  But  powerful  as  is  the  force  of  the 
earth,  when  we  grasp  anything  in  our  hand  the  attrac- 
tion of  the  earth  cannot  draw  it  away.  So  when  we 
are  in  the  hand  of  Christ  earthly  things  can  have  no 
power  over  us,  for  in  His  keeping  we  are  safe. 

God  in  Christ. — ^Hindus  are  very  fond  of  saying  that 
God  is  in  everything.  I  once  came  to  a  river  which  I 
had  to  cross.  There  was  no  boat  to  carry  me  over,  and 
I  stood  wondering  how  it  could  be  managed.  Then  a 
man  called  my  attention  to  a  deflated  water-skin,  and 
said  that  was  the  only  way  to  get  across.  So  we  inflated 
it  with  air  and  I  crossed  over  in  safety.  Then  the 
thought  came  to  me  that  there  was  plenty  of  air  all 
round  me,  but  it  was  incapable  of  helping  me  in  my 


APPENDICES  143 

difficulty  until  it  was  confined  in  the  narrow  space  of 
the  water-skin.  So  it  is  as  unreasonable  to  deny  the 
necessity  of  the  Incarnation  of  Christ  as  to  declare  that 
the  air-filled  leather  boat  was  of  no  use  to  help  in  crossing 
that  river. 

Our  Helplessness. — The  little  chicken  in  its  shell  lives 
in  a  very  circumscribed  and  narrow  world  of  its  own. 
It  is  receiving  its  mother's  warmth  and  care  all  the 
time,  but  it  is  unconscious  of  them  because  it  cannot 
see  or  know  her.  It  has  wings,  but  they  are  closely 
folded  and  it  cannot  use  them.  So  it  is  with  us  until 
God  calls  us  out  into  His  abundant  life. 

Abundant  Life. — I  once  knew  a  man  who  was  very 
sick  and  could  not  rise  from  his  bed.  His  house  caught 
fire,  and  he  strove  to  get  out,  but  he  had  no  strength. 
He  cried  aloud,  and  with  all  his  small  stock  of  strength 
he  struggled  to  get  out  of  the  burning  room.  He  had 
life,  but  it  was  not  enough  to  save  him,  and  so  he  was 
burnt  to  death.  Another  man  came  by  before  the  fire 
was  over,  and  he  was  able  to  put  it  out,  because  he  had 
abounding  strength,  but  he  was  too  late  to  save  the 
sick  man.  Another  man  I  knew  was  very  ill,  and  he 
had  lost  all  sense  of  taste.  Pleasant  dishes  of  food  were 
prepared  for  him,  but  he  disliked  them  and  would  not 
cat  them,  and  so  he  got  weaker  and  weaker.  Many 
Christians  have  lost  their  taste  for  spiritual  things. 
They  have  life,  but  there  is  not  abundant  life.  Buddhism 
and  Hinduism  teach  many  good  things,  but  only  Christ 
offers  this  abundant  life,  and  it  is  only  by  experience 
that  anyone  can  really  understand  the  difference  between 
life  and  this  abundant  life  which  is  the  gift  of  Christ. 

The  Necessity  of  Suffering. — A  silkworm  was  struggling 
out  of  the  cocoon,  and  an  ignorant  man  saw  it  battling 


t^' 


144 


APPENDICES 


as  if  in  pain,  so  he  went  and  helped  it  to  get  free,  but 
very  soon  after  it  fluttered  and  died.  The  other  silk- 
worms that  struggled  oiit  without  help  suffered,  but 
they  came  out  into  full  life  and  beauty  with  wings  made 
strong  for  flight  by  their  battle  for  fresh  existence. 

The  Water  of  Life. — Some  time  ago  a  party  of  men 
were  travelling  in  Tibet.  One  of  them  became  very 
thirsty,  but  there  was  no  water.  As  they  went  on  they 
saw  some  pools  surrounded  by  marshy  ground,  where  the 
thirsty  man  determined  to  quench  his  thirst.  Those 
who  knew  the  nature  of  the  country  begged  him  to  wait 
until  they  should  reach  a  safe  place,  but  he  would  not 
listen,  and  said  he  would  take  care.  He  plunged  ahead 
towards  a  pool,  and  filling  his  hands  began  to  drink. 
He  called  to  his  friends  to  tell  them  he  had  got  his  heart's 
desire,  and  even  as  he  spoke  he  began  to  sink  in  the 
morass.  Soon  he  was  half  buried,  and  no  one  could 
venture  near  to  draw  him  out,  and  his  companions 
looked  helplessly  on  as  he  sank  and  at  length  he 
disappeared,  miserably  perishing  as  so  many  do  who 
drink  the  water  of  a  sinful  life. 


DATE  DUE 


HIGHSMITH       #  -45220 


